Zephyr's Breath
by BregoArodShadowfax
Summary: Done for a prompt meme on LJ: Finn/Kurt pirate!AU with a side of Blaine/Sam.  Kurt Hummel is the captain of a feared pirate ship, the Zephyr's Breath, but everything changes when he finds a young man who is the sole survivor of a shipwreck.
1. Chapter 1

**Title:** Zephyr's Breath  
><strong>Author:<strong> AoiTsukikage  
><strong>Rating:<strong> PG-13 for now.  
><strong>CharactersPairing:** Finn/Kurt, minor Blaine/Sam  
><strong>Chapter:<strong> 1/?  
><strong>Word Count:<strong> 3086  
><strong>Spoilers:<strong> Let's say everything to be safe :)  
><strong>SummaryWarnings:** Done for a prompt meme on LJ: rairox64 wanted a Finn/Kurt pirate!AU with a side of Blaine/Sam, and between my love for pirates and the Doctor Who episode last night I was inspired. Thus this was born.

**Disclaimer:** I, unfortunately, do not own these characters, no matter how sad that makes me. I do, however, promise to return them when I'm done with them. :)

**Zephyr's Breath**

**Chapter One**

"Captain!"

"What?" Captain Kurt Hummel of the _Zephyr's Breath _looked up at the cry, wondering what could be of so much interest in the middle of the ocean. They were still at least half a day behind the ship they were currently tailing so there was no way that could be the issue, but his first mate wasn't one to call him on a whim so he decided it might be best to go take a look. He grabbed the rope and swung down from the rigging, booted feet landing on the deck with a soft 'clump' as he crossed to the railing. "Anderson! What's the matter?"

"There's a man in the water, Captain," Blaine Anderson told him, gazing over the rail, and Kurt went to join him. "Looks like a shipwreck to me."

Kurt hopped up on the siderail of his ship, grabbing a rope and leaning forward as far as he can. He knew that the crew worried for his safety, sometimes, but he's yet to meet a man as sure on his feet as he himself is.

What he saw made him cringe, because he may be a feared pirate, but if it was possible he always tried to leave people alive. Killing didn't bring him any pleasure when it was unnecessary, and this scrap of ship looked like it had been attacked, pillaged, and then set on fire.

The man Blaine had pointed out to him was floating on a small piece of wood, half in the water, and Kurt registered briefly that he was young and that he was undeniably handsome before he gave the order to pull him in.

"Kurt," Blaine spoke to him softly, gripping his shoulder. "Are you certain?"

"More than," Kurt assured him. Kurt and his crew had a very unconventional relationship in that he treated them less as a crew of underlings and more as a crew of equals. He also was not afraid to keep women on board, which many pirates considered bad luck, but if they mentioned a thing all he needed to do was show them Santana Lopez and they'd be a blubbering pile of goo on the deck. "We can't leave an innocent man to die, Blaine."

"I know," Blaine looked relieved, casting a glance back over his shoulder at Sam Evans, another man they'd picked up during a rather random situation. Sam had begged to join the crew; his family was horribly poor and he had to provide for his younger brother and sister, and Kurt had taken pity on him and allowed him on board.

Blaine had taken to him instantly and, suffice to say, the two of them were _much _more than friends now (and that was another reason Kurt's ship differed from some of the others: he was of the same persuasion as Sam and Blaine so he really didn't care who slept with who on his ship so long as the work got done and they got enough treasure to live).

Kurt watched as his crew hauled the unconscious man up onto the deck, which was rather difficult because, as Kurt noted, he was taller than anybody on board. "Bring him to my cabin," he ordered, stalking across the deck, and he heard Noah Puckerman grumbling about 'doing the prissy boy's dirty work' before a shuffling sound that indicated Puck and probably Mike Chang were helping to bring the man across the ship.

He knew that Puck was never serious when he complained but it's a part of who he was so he tolerated it. He pushed open the door to his cabin, entering the dark room and padding over to the bed.

"Something the matter, Kurt?" Artie Abrams asked, the man looking up from his place at the desk where he was currently charting the course of the merchant ship they were chasing. Artie had been Kurt's friend for several years but a horrible accident a few years earlier had cost him the use of his legs, so while he couldn't walk anymore Kurt was not going to cast him off because of their history. Plus, Artie's about the best cartographer he could ever ask for.

"Shipwreck. Looks like the _Raven's _work," Kurt replied. The _Midnight Raven _was the most feared ship in these parts; ruthless pirates who never left a man alive and always destroyed the ships they plundered. Their current captain was a man by the name of Dustin Goolsby and they'd been the _Zephyr's _rival for as long as Kurt could remember.

"Kurt, they're getting to be a real problem," Artie pointed out. "Maybe we should send…"

"No. Not yet," Kurt shut the idea down with a wave of his hand. "He used to sail with them, remember? Chances are some of the crew would still know who he is."

"So he goes in in disguise," Artie shrugged, making another note on the map. "I mean, he's a spy. That's what he does."

"True, but I think we'll leave it for a while. They haven't challenged us directly, and while I hate to see ships needlessly destroyed like this one," he jerked his head toward the man they'd found as Puck and Mike bought him in, laying him on the bed before leaving the cabin, "we need to pick our time carefully. Jesse can't be put into danger because we're impatient."

"Okay," Artie finally conceded as Kurt pondered his point for a moment. It _would _be useful to find out exactly what the _Raven _was up to but Jesse St. James was far too important to have his life thrown around like it meant nothing. Sure, he used to be one of the enemy, but he'd proven himself to be loyal to Kurt and his crew and Kurt trusted him implicitly.

Kurt was about to say more when the man on the bed groaned, and he turned away from Artie and crossed to him, looking down curiously. The man opened his eyes, blinking until he focussed on Kurt, and at the moment the only thing Kurt's noticed is what a gorgeous chocolate brown color said eyes were.

"Where…wh…" the man stammered, glancing around fearfully, and Kurt knelt down by the bed and placed a firm hand on the other man's arm, feeling undeniable muscle mass beneath his fingertips.

"Shh, you're safe. Your ship was destroyed…"

"Oh, God in Heaven…"

"I am sorry if you had family aboard," Kurt continued, speaking in a low, soothing voice.

"No, it isn't…my family's back home. I had just bought a passage across the ocean…" he still sounded a tad disoriented, blinking furiously.

"I know this must be confusing for you but no harm shall come to you while under my protection. I promise," Kurt said honestly and the other man gave him a ghost of a smile. "Now, I know you are still reeling from your experience, but can you remember anything about the ship that attacked you?"

"It was…ah…pirates," the man furrowed his forehead as he thought. "The captain of the vessel I was on warned me of them…a ship named after some sort of bird…"

"The _Raven?"_

"That does sound familiar," he admitted. "But it happened so fast I barely saw the attacking ship."

"The _Midnight Raven _is notorious for leaving nobody alive when they take ships, so you can count yourself very lucky," Kurt told the man seriously.

"Yeah, that was its name!" the man exclaimed, looking happier. "He said there were two really powerful pirate ships in these parts; the _Raven _and the…it was a weird word, something about the wind…"

"_Zephyr's Breath," _Kurt breathed, not liking where this was going.

"Yes. Exactly. And he said that if you got caught you should pray to get caught by the _Zephyr _because their crew was merciful," he relayed, still looking a little confused before his eyes widened. "Wait! If that other ship's still out there are we in danger?"

"No, we're perfectly safe," Kurt sighed. "They won't attack us directly."

"But…"

"Remember what your captain said, sir: _two _powerful pirate ships in these waters. The _Raven _was the one that attacked you. The other is the one you're on."

The man again looked rather (adorably) confused before he tried to scramble out of bed with a cry, forcing Kurt to grab his arm and hold him down. "Oh, God, you're a _pirate!" _

"Yes, now calm…"

"You're…you're…"

"My name is Kurt Hummel. I'm the captain of the _Zephyr's Breath_," Kurt told him, keeping his voice calm. "You're _safe _here. We don't harm innocent people, unlike those brutes on the _Raven_. I promise nobody will lay a hand on you in violence as long as you're on this ship."

"He's telling the truth," Artie put in, glancing up from his maps. "I mean, look at me: I can't even walk. Most captains would have dropped me off at the nearest port and never looked back, but Kurt would never abandon somebody in need."

"I…" the man slumped back on the bed, shaking his head. "You…"

"Where were you headed? Port Royal?"

"Y-yes," the man admitted.

"Then we will drop you off there, or as close as we can get. Pirate ships can't sail into Port Royal without getting attacked by the Royal Navy, after all," Kurt gave him a wry smile. "Will that suffice?"

"Um…yes. Thank you," the man still looked less than sure but at least he wasn't trying to run away anymore.

"However, if I may, can I ask for your name?"

"I…Finnegan Hudson. But most people just call me Finn," the man looked hesitant to reach out his hand but he did so anyway, and Kurt took it and gave it a firm shake.

"It's a pleasure to have you on board, Mr. Hudson. Now, are you hungry? I can head to the galley and find something for you to eat," he offered.

"Aren't you the captain?" Finn was doing that furrowed brow thing again that was endearingly appealing.

"Yes, and I do a lot of the cooking. Why not help out if you have the talent? My mother passed away from an illness when I was very young so many of our household duties fell to me while my father worked at the docks repairing ships," Kurt explained, really wanting Finn to understand that he's just a normal person with no intention to harm him.

"Oh. I am sorry to hear that. My father was in the Royal Navy but he was killed before I'd even gotten the chance to meet him," Finn sighed. "Pirates," he added, and Kurt felt a spear of guilt go through him at the words.

Of course.

No wonder Finn was so leery of him.

"Oh. I'm…"

"It's fine," Finn shakes his head. "Seeing as how we must be close to the same age, I'm highly doubtful that his death can be blamed on you," Finn told him, shifting a little.

"Captain!" Santana pushed open the cabin door and looked in, her eyes wide. "I think you'll want to come see this."

"Are you okay to walk?" Kurt asked Finn, who nodded and tried vainly to stand up. "Careful! Here," he slid an arm around Finn's back and helped him to stand, staggering toward the door as Santana attempted to brace Finn's other side. Santana may have been slender, but she was tough as nails.

They made it out to the deck and over to the rail, Finn leaning on the side of the ship as Kurt took up his customary spot hanging out over the edge, and what he saw made his blood boil.

"Was that your ship?" he asked between gritted teeth, glancing down at Finn who was hanging over the railing and looking decidedly green.

"Yes. That's…" he swallowed heavily and retched, dry heaving over the side, and Kurt couldn't blame him. All around the burned-out wreckage were bodies: men, women, children, and he saw something that he would forever swear was a doll but a part of him knew better. "Who…" Finn looked up at him pitifully, brown eyes wide and pleading. "Who would do something like that?"

"Somebody who is no longer human," Kurt hopped down off the ship and looked at Santana, who was giving him a curious gaze. "Yes?"

"Don't you find it a little suspicious, Captain, that the _Raven _would kill a baby and yet not hunt this man down? How did you escape?" she pressed, and Kurt had to admit that he may have been a little…blinded by how handsome the man was that he didn't think to ask the same question.

"I…I was sleeping belowdeck when the first cannonballs hit the ship. I tried to get to the surface but on the way up one of them broke through the ship where I was walking and the force knocked me out the hole it had left. I grabbed onto whatever I could and…I guess by the time they were finished I was too far away to find. I saw only a glimpse of the other ship and none of its crew made eye contact with me," he gulped, eyes plainly frightened, and Kurt wanted desperately to believe him but he couldn't.

Not quite yet. He held out a hand and Blaine passed him his most prized possession: his swords. Pistols were becoming increasingly common on the seas these days but nobody could best him in a swordfight, especially not with what he used.

He didn't know much about them but had bought them off of a merchant sailor who told him they come from the Far East, but the point was that barely anyone in these waters had seen them before and that always gave him a distinct advantage. He spun them around slowly, the feel of them between his fingers as familiar as a lover's caress, and noted that Finn was staring at him in horror.

"You promised…you…"

"I did. But that was if you were innocent. Jesse!"

"Captain?" Jesse swung down from the Crow's Nest (the man was a notorious show-off, after all) and took his place beside Kurt, tousled hair blowing in the breeze.

"You're a spy. Tell me if this man's lying," Kurt gestured with one of his swords toward Finn, who gulped.

"About being incredibly lucky to have escaped with his life?" Jesse stepped closer, staring into Finn's eyes. After a minute or so he moved away and shook his head. "He's telling the truth. It may have been pure dumb luck, but the fact is that this man is one of the few to have ever escaped a full attack from the _Raven _with his life."

Finn was nodding emphatically and Kurt took pity on him, lowering his twin swords and passing them back to Blaine. "Alright, then, Mr. Hudson. I trust Jesse to know what he's about, so as far as I can tell you're just a very lucky man. A very lucky man in desperate need of some new clothing," he added with a sniff. "You're taller than anybody on board this ship but we can probably scrape something together that will be passable. We're only a couple of days away from Port Royal but since we're currently closing on a merchant vessel the _Raven _has yet to demolish you'll have to wait it out until we finish that. Okay?"

Finn still looked mortified but he nodded, a short, sharp jerk of his head, and Kurt reached to lay a hand on his shoulder.

"If you're truly innocent you have nothing to fear from us. I'll go find you something to eat," Kurt said earnestly before turning smartly on his heel and making his way to the kitchen, glancing over his shoulder to note that Rachel Berry was staring at the newcomer with hooded eyes.

Well. She could try, he supposed, but when Kurt saw something he wanted he was an expert at getting it.

And it _had _been a long time since he'd had a lover (actually, he'd only _had _one lover, and that was only because he and Blaine were so close that taking the next step had been inevitable. But then Sam showed up and, well, that was the end of that).

Long story short, if anybody on board was going to be bedding Finnegan Hudson, it was going to be him.

He'd make sure of that.

000

"I'm sorry about the sleeping accommodations but we're rather full up at the moment," Kurt told him later, once the sun had set and they were readying themselves for the night ahead.

It wasn't a lie, either; even with one or sometimes two people on night watch, and with those who shared beds on a regular basis, there wasn't much room to spare.

Rachel had offered to share, of course, but Finn had taken one look at her leer and decided he'd take his chances in the cabin which led to Kurt giving Rachel a rather self-satisfied smirk.

He loved her, as he loved all of his crew, and he knew that she'd had her heart broken in the past (that's what she got for falling in love with a spy while he was working for the other side. The fact that he was on their side now didn't seem to make a difference; there was undeniable tension between Rachel and Jesse but neither of them were willing to bridge that gap), but he wasn't going to give up his chance with Finn without a fight.

"That's perfectly alright," Finn promised. "We were overcrowded on the passenger boat regardless so I'm rather used to it."

"If you'd rather I can sleep on the floor…"

"No! I mean, you're the captain, are you not? It wouldn't do for you to sleep on a dirty floor," Finn looked sheepish at his outburst even though Kurt suspected he was beginning to see that this ship didn't run like a traditional one. "I can sleep on the floor if you'd just give me a spare blanket."

"Nonsense. You're a guest and probably exhausted from your ordeal. I know my bed is overlarge for a pirate ship but if it makes you uncomfortable…"

"I'm okay," Finn said shortly, turning toward the wall, and Kurt climbed in and faced the other way, their backs barely touching.

He knew that this didn't mean anything; it was being done out of necessity only.

But still, he thought as he pressed back a little farther and felt Finn lean minutely into the touch, it was a start.

**Notes:**

**1. **For those of you still waiting for prompt fills from me I promise I AM working on them; this idea just came out of nowhere last night and so I had to get it down.

**2. **That being said, I have no idea where this fic will go, so I probably won't work more on it until I've finished _Caligo _just because I need to get that one done!

**3. **Also, I'm no expert on pirates or late 16th-early 17th century pirate history although I've read some books, so since most of my knowledge comes from 'Pirates of the Caribbean' and One Piece this may not be entirely historically accurate, although I've tried to keep it pretty close. Lucky for me sodomy was pretty much the norm on pirate ships so that part isn't farfetched xP

**4. **Anyway, I know this is probably really odd, but I hope you enjoyed and let me know what you thought!


	2. Chapter 2

**Title:** Zephyr's Breath  
><strong>Author:<strong> AoiTsukikage  
><strong>Rating:<strong> PG-13 for now  
><strong>CharactersPairing:** Finn/Kurt, minor Blaine/Sam  
><strong>Chapter:<strong> 2/?  
><strong>Word Count:<strong> 3322  
><strong>Spoilers:<strong> Let's say everything to be safe :)  
><strong>SummaryWarnings:** Kurt Hummel is the captain of a feared pirate ship, the Zephyr's Breath, but everything changes when he finds a young man who is the sole survivor of a shipwreck.

**Disclaimer:** I, unfortunately, do not own these characters, no matter how sad that makes me. I do, however, promise to return them when I'm done with them. :)

**Zephyr's Breath**

**Chapter Two**

Finnegan Hudson was in completely over his head.

Bad enough that the ship he'd bought passage on had to be attacked by the most vicious and notorious pirate crew in the Caribbean, but now he was stuck on _another _pirate ship.

Admittedly, things on board were a little…strange, or at least strange compared to what he'd heard about pirates in general. For one, the captain seemed less like a captain and more like an old friend the others just happened to listen to. And for another, there were women on board. A _lot _of women.

And while Finn had never really gotten to know women very well (his mother, of course, was insisting he be betrothed which was one of the reasons he decided to take a journey across the ocean. He knew that she was hoping he'd come home with a wife, although he himself was not nearly so concerned about that), the fact was that these were not only women, but stunningly gorgeous women, and he wouldn't mind getting to know a few of them.

But so far the only woman who was paying any attention at all to him was Rachel, and while she was small and pretty and he liked her well enough, she was kind of frightening him with her intensity and he thought that perhaps he should avoid her for a little while.

"Finnegan Hudson?"

"Yes?" he looked up, his eyes meeting another pair of brown ones, and blinked a few times.

This girl…the blonde…Quinn?

"I mean, yes, Quinn?"

She smiled and he was inwardly proud that he'd remembered her name. Normally he was a tad slow when it came to things such as that. "Your father's name. What was it?" she asked, hands clasped behind her back, and she really _was _beautiful. Classically pretty, blonde hair, toned body…he shook his head and came back to the conversation.

"Oh! My father…his name was Christopher."

"Christopher Hudson," she smiled. "I knew it."

"You know of my father?" Finn asked, leaning forward.

"My parents and your father knew each other rather well," she nodded. "You haven't by chance heard of the Fabray family, have you?"

"Your family name is _Fabray?" _Now Finn was terribly confused. The Fabray family was renowned even in Ireland for both the influence and the money that they possessed, so why would a daughter of the famous family be on board a pirate ship. "So why are you…"

"Sailing with pirates?" she laughed and sat on the rail, legs dangling down as he stood beside her. "Simple: when I was sixteen I became pregnant with a pirate's child. My older sister is the heir to the Fabray name regardless and so my parents cast me out once they'd discovered the pregnancy. Eventually the two of us found out way to the _Zephyr _and Kurt gladly accepted us as part of his crew."

"And your child?" Finn asked, because that was easier than asking about the father. Obviously Quinn was promised to somebody else and he should move on, although she really _was _terribly pretty.

"Rachel's mother is raising her. She herself had to give Rachel up as a young girl and she wanted the chance to be an actual mother. I visit them occasionally when we are near Port Royal and I know she is as happy as can be. And it's a far cry safer than trying to raise her on a pirate ship," Quinn noted with a sigh.

"True," Finn sighed as well and looked over the rail at the calm sea. They had raided the merchant ship early that morning (well, Finn had had no part of it, although he felt markedly better when he saw the ship leaving afterward looking mostly intact. As Kurt had told him, they only took from those who had too much to begin with) and were now on the way to Port Royal, but Artie estimated it would be around three days before they were close enough to send Finn in.

"You must really stop staring at me," Quinn broke the silence with a laugh and he looked at her again. "I take it you've guessed by now that the father of my child is on board this ship?"

"I have, but…"

"But you've been on a long journey and you feel a pressing need to experience a woman's flesh. I understand, of course, but I doubt you'll get very far on this ship."

"Is everybody…"

"Well, I'm with Puck," she smiled at the look on his face. "Yes, he might come off as being tough, but he's a really caring person inside. Brittany and Artie…"

"Artie can't even walk!" Finn protested.

"Maybe not, but he's assured us all that _that _part of his anatomy functions as well as ever," she leered and he coughed and looked away. "As I was saying, we picked up Mike and Tina together at one point and while they have the same family name they assure us they are not from the same family, so they're a pair. If you want to try for Mercedes you'll have to go through Kurt."

"They're…"

"No. But he thinks of her as highly as a sister and I have a feeling he'll be less than complimentary toward anybody that would hurt her," Quinn informed him.

"And Santana?"

"She'd eat you alive," Quinn snorted. "And Santana's not in anything for the long haul; if you want her for a night you can have her, I'm sure, but if you want a relationship I would strongly advise against it."

"If I'm only to be on board for a few more days…" Finn was mildly more hopeful, now. Santana scared him but she was untamed and beautiful and he'd imagine bedding her would be unforgettable. "Wait. What about Rachel?"

"Rachel and Jesse used to be…together, but there's bad blood between them now. And Rachel is…"

"Intense?"

"To put it mildly," Quinn sighed, one finger tracing the grooves in the wood railing. "As I said, it's up to you, but just know that if you throw off the dynamic of this ship I have a feeling our captain may go back on his promise not to hurt you."

"Well, I think you for the information," Finn said, bowing slightly.

"You're an uncommon sweet man, Mr. Hudson," Quinn allowed him to help her down.

"Still, the fact that there is nobody on this ship…"

"I didn't say 'nobody'," Quinn corrected him with a flirty smile. "There's always the Captain."

"Kurt? But Kurt's a man!" Finn's confused again, because it almost sounded like Quinn was suggesting…

"I forgot. You've been on land your whole life," she reached to pat his shoulder before moving away. "Believe me, Finnegan, you'll learn soon enough."

Finn didn't know what she meant, and he also wasn't so sure he wanted to find out.

000

As it turned out, the tales about pirates being rather addicted to music were completely true, and that night they all sat on the deck singing and chatting, celebrating their victorious raid on the merchant vessel.

Also, for the most part, the crew of the vessel was also remarkably _good _at singing, and while Finn didn't know many of the songs, there were a few he joined in hesitantly on, his voice sounding thin and untrained against the rest of them.

Rachel smiled at him, though, so he couldn't have been _that _horrid.

And then Brittany and Mike started to do some sort of dance, and they were both rather talented, so Finn watched them for a while before he registered the blonde…Sam…coming off of the watch and tapping Puck on the shoulder, which earned him a stream of complaints from the other man until Quinn pushed him aside and told him to go.

He did, still grumbling quietly, and Sam gave the girl a smile before seating himself behind Blaine, who glanced back briefly before moving back enough that he was seated between Sam's legs, letting the blonde pull him back against his chest.

Finn blinked, because this was more than a little odd, but maybe it was some pirate…thing…

And then they were kissing.

Finn stared with wide eyes even though nobody seemed to notice, and he gulped and tried to shy as far away from the group as a whole as he could.

He had heard the tales, of course, that pirates were immoral and did things that God would strike them down for, but to see something so vulgar right in front of his eyes…

He started to feel a little ill so he got up and headed for the front of the ship, nodding to Puck as he leant over the rail and sighed.

So now he was not only on a ship with pirates, he was on a ship with sodomites.

Perhaps _that _was what Quinn was referring to earlier when she had implied…

But that meant…

And this time he really _was _sick, coughing over the rail, because Quinn had insinuated that he and Kurt could…could…

And he'd been sharing a _bed _with the captain for the last couple of nights!

That thought is enough to make him sick again and he hangs rather pitifully over the side until he feels a hand on his back so he straightens up. "Sorry, I think I had too much to…" his voice died out as he realized Kurt was the one who had touched him, and he moved backward rapidly, pushing the other man away. "Don't _touch _me!"

"Finn? Are you…"

"You knew," Finn accused him, pointing at him as if he were some sort of evil spirit. "You knew that…that your first mate and…and Sam…"

"Are lovers?" Kurt asked, his voice hardening a little. "Of course. Is this a problem?"

"God's…God's going to strike you down…"

"I've never believed in God," Kurt laughed bitterly, crossing his arms and looking a tad wistful. "Some of the people on this ship do and I don't fault them for it, but…"

"You're sinners!"

"We're _pirates," _Kurt corrected. "We steal things that aren't ours. If any of us are going to Hell it'll be because of that and not who we choose to be intimate with."

"Then you…you…"

"To answer the question you seem afraid to ask: yes. Blaine and I used to be lovers, too, so there should now be no doubt in your mind about the type of person I feel attraction to," Kurt looked a little hurt, eyes narrowed, and he turned and strode away. "If you don't want to share a bed with me anymore I'll understand."

"I don't. It's disgusting. And the fact that you seem to think it is normal…"

"It _is _normal. At least, among pirates. I know you may be new to the life of a sailor but I won't tolerate that kind of attitude on my ship," Kurt warned him.

"Luckily for me I won't be on this ship for much longer," Finn retorted, folding his arms around his body.

"Lucky for us, too, I'm beginning to believe. Sleep where you will; believe what you will; but don't cause trouble for my crew," Kurt left him with that and Finn remembered how competent he looked with those odd swords and suppressed a shudder.

He eventually walked back to the crew, ignoring Blaine and Sam and pretending not to see the hurt look Kurt directed his way when he reached Rachel and asked, very politely, if she'd still like to share a bed with him.

Her response was overwhelmingly enthusiastic.

000

However, when they were laying in Rachel's small bed later, he was beginning to think this was not the best idea he could have had. Rachel seemed to assume that because he wanted to share a bed it gave her free reign to do as she would with him.

And he was okay with the kissing and a bit of the touching, but when she smirked at him with those dark eyes and slid a hand into his breeches, he had to put a stop to it.

"Rachel…"

"Shh, just let me…" she urged, and he wasn't used to women being so forward but, then again, these were _pirate _women and normal societal rules seemed not to apply here.

"Rachel, no," he said firmly and she pulled back, looking confused.

"But I thought…if you wanted…"

"I do, but…not yet," Finn reached for her hands and gripped them, placing a chaste kiss against her lips. As much as he told himself to make the most of this opportunity and just go for it, a larger knew that if he did he would always regret it. And it may have been rare, but he wanted to court a woman before he bedded her, or at least know more about her than just her name.

"Okay," she agreed after a second, shifting under the blankets. "You're a rare sort of man, Finnegan."

"I've been told," Finn kissed her again, loving this part, at least. "But perhaps it would be better if I slept elsewhere."

"Perhaps," she looked disappointed but didn't protest, so he slid out of the bed and padded onto the deck, breathing in the Caribbean air and heaving a sigh.

He heard footsteps behind him again and was hesitant to turn around after last time, but in the end he decided it was best to find out and so he did, placing his back to the rail. "Blaine."

"Good evening, Finn," Blaine said cordially, resting one hand on his hip as the breeze blew his tousled curls into an even further state of disarray.

"I was just…"

"No, you weren't," Blaine shook his head and took a step closer as Finn tried to shrink back. "I hate to be the one to tell you this, but God will not send you to Hell for touching me."

"It's not…"

"Right. I know. But you're not in your world anymore, Finn: you're in ours. And we have no obligation to fit into the neat little ideals that you and all of those like you have. I love Sam," he said, rather firmly, and Finn flinched at the blunt admission. "And tell me, what would be worse in God's eyes? Marrying a woman I don't love and sneaking off every night to be with a man I do? Or being true to myself and cherishing the one I love with everything I have?"

"I…" Finn had to admit that Blaine almost made a rational point.

Almost.

"I just…it isn't what I'm accustomed to. I've spent my whole life being told how unnatural and wrong it is…"

"Is love ever wrong?" Blaine asked with a bit of a smile. "I know Kurt's spoken to you of this but I'm just going to repeat what he's already said: you don't have to agree with it, but you _are _going to have to accept it if you wish to travel with us. Kurt may be our captain but he's rather sensitive at heart and I think he believed you to be a more accepting man than you're turning out to be."

"But I…"

"You've slept in the same bed with him for two night, Finnegan. Has he made any unwanted advances?" Blaine pressed.

"No. No, he seemed…reluctant to touch me at all, in fact," Finn realized.

"Because he knows where you come from. He knows that you probably wouldn't warm up to the idea of sharing a ship with sodomites right away, so he tried to make you as comfortable as possible. And how do you repay him?" Blaine's voice grew hard and Finn gulped.

Perhaps the man was right. Perhaps he _had _been too hard on Kurt. The man had taken him aboard, given him food, and even let him sleep in the captain's quarters, and all he'd done was act like an ungrateful child. "You're right," he admitted. "You…I still can't quite accept what you and Sam do, but…"

"You tried to share a bed with Rachel and that didn't go over well," Blaine smirked like he knew and Finn nodded quickly. "Go, then. See if Kurt will grant you any forgiveness."

"I shall," Finn nodded stiffly and flinched when Blaine lay a hand on his arm, but nothing horrible happened to him and eventually he breathed out and opened his eyes, looking into Blaine's obviously amused ones.

"It's not going to turn you into a sodomite if you touch me, and it's not going to affect your standing with God. I promise," Blaine's hand lingered on his arm until Finn relaxed and nodded.

He was still far from okay with two men being in love, but he knew now that he had been horribly unfair to somebody who had only tried to show him kindness.

And he knew that he wouldn't feel at peace with himself until he made up for that.

000

He knocked on the cabin door, not really expecting an answer at this time of the night, but Kurt surprised him by opening it a second later, looking rather rumpled and tousled. "Finnegan."

"Kurt," Finn breathed out slowly, steeling himself for the impending conversation. "I wanted to say that…I am sorry for how I reacted earlier. You were in the right; this is your ship, and while you…pirates…may believe in different things than what I was taught, I have no right to come in here and try to force you to change for my sake. Can you ever forgive me for this?"

Kurt regarded him carefully, his eyes still sleep-heavy, before nodding. "Of course. I should have known better as well and told Blaine and Sam to keep their affections more private. I knew that you probably were not used to seeing people as we are but it must have slipped my mind today," he admitted, looking a little embarrassed. "So I must apologize as well."

"No, you shouldn't need to. I'm the guest; you could have left me to die in the ocean but you've taken me in and been nothing but kind. The least I can do is accept your crew for who they are, whether I agree with it or not," Finn was amazed to find that saying the words were easy to say because he knew that deep down he believed them.

He still didn't agree with it; the thought of two men doing…that…made him sick to his stomach, but he had no right to come in as a guest and tell others how to live their lives.

"Well, thank you for understanding," Kurt gave him a tiny smile. "Is part of this because Rachel was moving too fast?"

"I…"

"I knew it. Come in," Kurt beckoned him in and Finn yawned and made his way to the bed, taking up his spot facing the wall and closing his eyes. When Kurt didn't join him he turned around and noticed the other man was still standing by the door.

"Are you not coming to bed?"

"No," Kurt shook his head. "You can sleep here by yourself tonight; I'll go relieve Blaine and take the next watch."

"But are you not…"

"The captain of this vessel; of course," Kurt shrugged his shoulders. "However, as much as you are trying to adjust to this, I can tell you still have problems with who I am and so perhaps for tonight you should sleep alone."

"Kurt…"

"It's for the best," Kurt opened the door and started to leave before he turned back and added, "and you know, maybe I _was _right about you, Finnegan Hudson. Maybe you truly _are _the kind of man I thought you were."

Kurt left, closing the door behind him, and Finn burrowed farther under the blankets and closed his eyes, sleep coming to him almost immediately despite everything.

Still, he thought right before he slipped into slumber, he was glad he only had to be on this ship for a few days.

**Notes:**

**1. **Don't hate Finn too much, okay? I really hated writing him with that mentality but the truth is that at that time for as common and accepted as homosexual relationships were on pirate ships, most people would have considered them completely sinful and Finn would more than likely have been brought up as one of those people.

**2. **That being said, the Finn/Kurt may take a little longer in this fic because of that. But Finn will warm to the idea. Eventually.

**3. **Also, Lauren isn't part of the crew. I like Lauren well enough and I like Puck/Lauren alright but she just…didn't seem to fit when I was writing this (besides which, I ship Quick. Really. And I'm so mad this season that they've thrown Puck's 'I love you' out like it never happened and they barely look at each other). So I'm sorry if anybody's a fan of Lauren!

**4. **Um, I think that's it. If there's anything really strange and modern in here please point it out to me; I wrote this and the last chapter of _Caligo _at the same time and sometimes I worry about things overlapping without my knowledge xP (Also, it's after midnight, which officially makes it the eleventh, so…Happy Birthday, Cory :D)


	3. Chapter 3

**Title:** Zephyr's Breath  
><strong>Author:<strong> AoiTsukikage  
><strong>Rating:<strong> PG-13 for now  
><strong>CharactersPairing:** Finn/Kurt, minor Blaine/Sam  
><strong>Chapter:<strong> 3/?  
><strong>Word Count:<strong> 2774  
><strong>Spoilers:<strong> Let's say everything to be safe :)  
><strong>SummaryWarnings:** Kurt Hummel is the captain of a feared pirate ship, the Zephyr's Breath, but everything changes when he finds a young man who is the sole survivor of a shipwreck.

**Disclaimer:** I, unfortunately, do not own these characters, no matter how sad that makes me. I do, however, promise to return them when I'm done with them. :)

**Zephyr's Breath**

**Chapter Three**

Kurt staggered onto the deck, wondering why he felt so cold. He honestly _should _have known better than to expect that Finn would be accepting of who he was but he had been blinded by his rather startling desire for the other man.

A desire that would forever go unreturned, and he supposed he just had to accept that fact.

And really, why should it matter so much? He was not some sort of tavern wench to fall for the first handsome man that speaks to them, and Finn was truly not that remarkable.

He's rather average, all things considered.

So why was Kurt pining for him like a maiden?

It didn't really matter, he supposed. He'd just have to move on and concentrate on his ship; after all, he _was_ the captain. He couldn't be distracted.

"Kurt?"

"Blaine," Kurt looked at the other man for a moment before turning to the water. "I assume you are the one responsible for dear Finnegan's abrupt change of heart?"

"I try," Blaine set a hand on his shoulder and Kurt leant slightly into the touch. "But I apologize; Sam and I should have shown more restraint."

"It isn't your fault," Kurt reached up to cover Blaine's hand with his own. "You shouldn't have to hide your feelings on board this ship. In fact, I insist you don't."

"Even when it hurts you?" Blaine asked, his tone of voice implying that he knew the answer. "Kurt, you are my captain, but more than that you are my best friend. I know that it hurts you to see Sam and I together when you have nobody."

"Matters of the heart mean nothing to me," Kurt snorted, shifting his feet slightly as a rogue wave rocked the ship.

"You're a horrible liar, especially to one who knows you so well," Blaine sounded amused. "It's not a crime to be in love."

"I barely know the man, Blaine. And so far all he's done is, well, empty the contents of his stomach at the thought of two men being intimate," Kurt wrinkled his nose at that particular memory.

"You have to understand that he's been taught his whole life that what we are is not only abnormal but sinful in the eyes of God," Blaine reminded him firmly. "He won't get over something he's been taught for so long in one day, but if he's willing to apologize at least that's a good start."

"Still, I have never fallen so quickly before, and that more than anything is telling me to stay away from him…"

"Kurt, you don't make any sense," Blaine's hand slid down his arm to clasp his own. "You feel more for this man than you have for any…"

"Apart from you."

"I'd guessed, but that's not important. The point is, you feel more for him than you have for anybody and you're willing to deny yourself that happiness for what?"

"My father," Kurt said, his voice harsh. "Your parents are both alive, Blaine. You didn't…my father has not been the same since my mother succumbed to her illness all those years ago and I don't want to do that to myself."

"So you'll deny yourself the chance to fall in love because you're worried you'll get hurt?" Blaine's voice sounded almost incredulous. "Kurt…"

"Don't. You won't change my mind on this," Kurt shook his head.

"I'm going to try anyway," Blaine was too used to his stubbornness, Kurt thought. He knew he wouldn't get the other man to leave easily now. "Our lives are full of danger, Kurt, but that's the chance we took in becoming pirates in the first place. Any one of us could die with each storm, each raid, each attack we have to fend off, but look at how many people on this ship have found somebody that they want to share their lives and their beds with. If I was a smart man I'd close myself off from everything and never look at Sam again, so maybe I'm foolish for believing in happy endings, but I'm going to hope for it anyway.

"And besides," he added with a firm squeeze to Kurt's hand, "I'd rather sleep with somebody than sleep alone. It gets cold at night."

"True," Kurt laughed a little, because Blaine never failed to make him feel at least a little better about himself. "But go on then; get some rest."

"Kurt, you're the captain. You're not to…"

"Take watch, I know. But I doubt I'll be getting any sleep tonight," Kurt admitted. "So there's no reason for us both to be out here."

"Okay," Blaine gripped his hand one more time before walking away. "But Kurt?"

"Yes?"

"Take care of yourself. He's just a man," Blaine told him seriously, looking more than a little concerned.

"I know that. But so is Sam," Kurt countered and Blaine gave him a hint of a smile at the retort before heading down to the main cabin.

000

Finn was worried about the captain.

He shouldn't be, of course, because in all truth the captain still scared him, but the night before he'd stayed out all night again and it was obvious he was suffering from extreme fatigue at the moment.

He staggered around the deck like a man who'd consumed too much rum and Finn voiced this to Artie, who shrugged and merely told him that it wasn't his place to question the captain's actions.

Really, Finn thought, he should go to Blaine with this, but Blaine still intimidated him a little, too, and he could tell by the way Blaine watched Kurt that it hadn't escaped his notice regardless.

Still, at least he was only to be on this ship for one more day and he'd never have to see any of these people again.

That was comforting.

"Bwark! Change in the winds! Change in the winds!"

He glanced up at the parrot who had made the announcement, flying around the top of the mainmast, and Brittany stepped out onto the deck beside him and looked up at the cloudless sky rather vacantly. "Lord Tubbington says there's a storm coming."

"A storm?" Finn glanced up as well, wincing as the bright sunlight seared his eyes. "But it's perfectly sunny out!"

"Bwark! Batten down the hatches! Batten down the hatches!"

"He says it's going to be a bad one," Brittany absently patted Finn's head before wandering away and Finn looked over to Artie for advice.

"I know it's odd, but that bird hasn't been wrong yet," the man told him. "Do you mind giving Kurt a warning? I'd do it, but…" he gestured to his legs and Finn nodded, really not wanting to talk to the other man but knowing he couldn't refuse such a direct request.

He moved across the deck to where Kurt was, leaning over the rail and looking about a second away from falling over fast asleep. "Kurt?"

"Finn," Kurt looked horrid; dark circles under his eyes and his skin was a rather unhealthy shade of white. "What…"

"Brittany's…parrot says that there's a storm coming. A rather severe one," he added as Kurt sighed and pushed himself away from the railing.

"Well, best prepare for it, then. I want you staying in the cabin; you'll be useless in a full-blown storm and if you fall into the ocean again I won't be able to save you," Kurt gave him a rather sad smile before sauntering across the deck and ordering the crew to furl the sails. Finn watched him, worrying a little for his safety but realizing that if Blaine couldn't get him to rest he was unlikely to be any more successful.

"Would you like me to move you to the cabin?" he asked Artie, who gave him a grateful smile.

"That would be wonderful, Finn. Thank you."

Finn picked the other man up, chair and all (Artie was really light regardless) and carried him into Kurt's cabin, setting the chair down in front of his desk of maps and leaving him to work while he went back out onto the deck.

He could stay out here at least until the sky had more than one cloud in it.

000

Kurt leant on the rail again, blinking his eyes furiously in an attempt to keep them open.

He could _not _afford to fall asleep with a storm brewing, especially because, as the captain, he had to lead his crew no matter what.

And he would.

If he could just keep his eyes open.

"Kurt?"

"Mercedes," he sighed happily as she came up to stare at the horizon with him. He'd known Mercedes for a long time now and the two of them were nearly inseparable, plus as she was actually born in this area of the Caribbean she was the greatest guide and liaison a man could ask for. Artie may draw the maps but it was Mercedes who told him where everything was to begin with.

"You're exhausted. Why don't you go to your cabin and sleep through this? Blaine can take care of things up here…"

"No," Kurt said gently, laying a hand on her arm. "This is my ship. What use am I as a captain if I can't even command my crew through a simple storm?"

"What use are you as a captain if you're so exhausted you make a mistake and are swept out to sea?" the woman asked him with a raised eyebrow. "It's your call, of course, but I would much prefer it if you were safe inside."

"I know, my darling," he assured her with a warm smile. "But those are definitely storm clouds on the horizon so we must begin preparations."

She nodded and let him walk away, although Kurt could feel her eyes on him the entire way across the deck.

000

The storm, as Lord Tubbington had predicted, was ferocious.

Certainly the worst any of them had seen in a couple of years, and seeing as how fierce storms seemed to pop up more often than not, that was saying something.

Kurt was bone-tired by the end of it, slouching around the deck and barely able to lift his feet enough to walk, and the wind had literally snapped the mainmast in two so they wouldn't be going anywhere for a few days.

Luckily they'd raided enough supplies from the merchant vessel that they wouldn't be in any danger, but it also meant that Finn would be around for probably about a week and Kurt didn't think he could survive not sleeping for that long.

He eventually collapsed in a corner of the deck, wedging himself beside the railing and curling into a tiny ball as his eyes drooped closed.

Maybe he'd just rest for a short while…

He came awake rather abruptly as he felt himself lifted off of the wooden planks, smelling a scent that was undeniably male but also rather unfamiliar (one of the…downsides to living in close quarters with so many people is that, eventually, you learn how they all smell). "Finn?" he guessed, not looking because his eyes still didn't want to stay open.

"Yes."

"What are you doing?" he couldn't find it in him to protest, wanting nothing more than to go limp in Finn's arms and sleep for a good long while, but he couldn't get distracted by him.

"Taking you to get some rest," Finn replied softly, trying not to jostle him too much as he made his way across the deck. Kurt opened his eyes enough to note that Finn looked a little worse for wear and decided that the storm must have upset his stomach (not surprising; it _was _particularly vicious and even for somebody as used to riding the swells as he was it was still a little discomfiting).

"But I must…"

"The mainmast. I know. I am sure that, with a bit of guidance, I can do my part in helping to repair it," Finn promised as they reached the cabin door and he toed it open, carrying Kurt into the cozy room and placing him on the bed. "Get some rest, Captain. I daresay you deserve it."

"Finn?" And Kurt hated how childish his voice sounded in that moment, but he really wished Finn would stay for at least a few more seconds.

"Yes?"

"Thank you," he finally settled on, knowing he had nothing else to add, and Finn gave him a smile before leaving the cabin and closing the door.

Kurt didn't intend to stay in bed, of course; not when there was so much to accomplish, but his body had other plans and by the time he decided he needed to stay awake he was already mere moments away from falling asleep.

000

He woke up to find the windows at the back of the cabin black, knowing that night had come, and shifted to get out of the bed when an arm clamped about his waist and held him steady.

"Wh…"

"You have only been resting for a few hours. Sleep until morning," Finn grumbled, voice sleep-hoarse and low, and Kurt allowed himself a brief moment of joy at the contact before protesting.

"Finnegan, I appreciate what you are trying to do, but I am a grown man and I can take care of myself…"

"You would have made yourself sick due to exhaustion," Finn said bluntly, and Kurt absently thought that this was the most intelligent thing he'd probably heard the other man say. "At least, this is what Santana told me to tell you."

_Of course_, Kurt thought. Santana's father was a surgeon and she'd picked up quite a few things just from being around him for so many years, so while the ship didn't truly have anybody they could classify as a 'doctor,' she knew enough that they rarely needed to put into port to take care of injuries.

Which, seeing as how most men of England would take them prisoner if they set foot in a town, was rather useful. "Santana knows that I know my own limits. I've not yet reached them."

"She also told me that if you were to leave she would keep guard outside the door all night and force you back in here," Finn sounded amused at that one, his breath ruffling the fine hairs on the nape of Kurt's neck.

"To disobey your captain is mutinous," Kurt muttered under his breath.

"Yes, well, she'd be the only pirate to mutiny just because she wished you safe," Finn had to point out. "Go back to sleep, Kurt. We can discuss this more once the sun has risen."

"But…"

"You have not slept in two days. I think it's fair of me to expect you to sleep at least until dawn before we have any more conversation," Finn's arm tightened around him and Kurt found himself sliding back instinctively before he stopped and kept his body still in the other man's loose embrace.

"Okay," he finally conceded. "But you do not have to stay, in that case. I promise I will not go wandering about the ship and I know being in such close quarters with…someone of my persuasion makes you uncomfortable," Kurt said, trying very hard to hide the fact that Finn's calming presence made him feel very,_ very _comfortable indeed.

"I'd rather stay, if you'll allow it," Finn said, surprising him, and Kurt turned to glance over his shoulder.

"Why…"

"Because I was wrong to react the way I did; I thought we had discussed this," Finn didn't sound exasperated or angry although his words implied otherwise. "And obviously whether God condones your behaviour or not, He's seen fit to keep me here for a few more days so I may as well make the best of the experience."

"Admirable," Kurt decided with a yawn, facing away from Finn again and carefully tucking his hands away so he wouldn't accidentally brush against Finn's arm. "But you don't need to hold me in place anymore, either."

"I don't trust you yet," Finn sighed against his neck again. "And I'd rather not deal with Santana's wrath if you somehow sneak out of the cabin."

"So…"

"Go to sleep, Captain," Finn laughed shortly, his voice full of weariness. "Morning. We can talk…"

And his gentle breaths told Kurt without a doubt that he had fallen asleep again, so Kurt got as comfortable as he could and closed his own eyes, feeling Finn's arm warm around his body and wishing it was for a different reason than just to make sure he slept.

If he had it his way, one day….it would be.

**Notes:**

**1. **Hello again, everybody :) Thanks for all the reviews/comments last chapter!

**2. **Also, Di Lancre Royalty did amazing Kurt artwork for the fic that you all should go check out: http:/29(.)media(.)tumblr(.)com/tumblr_ll61gdM5R91qbmdano1_500(.)jpg

**3. **That's about it, I think; hope you all enjoyed the chapter and I have a decent idea of where this fic is going now which will make it easier to write :D


	4. Chapter 4

**Title:** Zephyr's Breath  
><strong>Author:<strong> AoiTsukikage  
><strong>Rating:<strong> PG-13 for now  
><strong>CharactersPairing:** Finn/Kurt, minor Blaine/Sam  
><strong>Chapter:<strong> 4/?  
><strong>Word Count:<strong> 3268  
><strong>Spoilers:<strong> Let's say everything to be safe :)  
><strong>SummaryWarnings:** Kurt Hummel is the captain of a feared pirate ship, the Zephyr's Breath, but everything changes when he finds a young man who is the sole survivor of a shipwreck.  
><strong>Disclaimer:<strong> I, unfortunately, do not own these characters, no matter how sad that makes me. I do, however, promise to return them when I'm done with them. :)

**Zephyr's Breath**

**Chapter Four**

"Kurt," he felt somebody shaking his shoulder and groaned, opening his eyes and staring right into Finn's still-sleeping face.

Well.

He turned around abruptly, making sure to keep Finn's arm secure about his waist, and focussed blearily on Santana. "Yes?"

"You'll want to come see this," she swallowed heavily, looking a little cautious. "We think…it's another burned-out ship…"

"The _Raven?" _Kurt was wide awake, prying Finn's arm off and hopping out of bed. "Finn!"

Finn grunted something in response as Santana thumped him none-too-gently on the shoulder. "Get up!"

"What is it?" Finn finally asked, opening his eyes.

"A shipwreck that sounds suspiciously like what happened to the ship you were on. You don't need to come up if you don't wish to," Kurt told him, remembering how Finn had reacted to the last one.

"No, I…I think I'll be fine," Finn swung his legs out of the bed and stood up, moving toward the door.

"How bad is it?" Kurt asked Santana, who shrugged.

"We're not quite upon it, yet; just pieces of driftwood and a few personal possessions at the moment. But I fear that when we stumble upon the ship itself…"

"Of course," Kurt sighed and rubbed a hand over his eyes. "And without our mainsail it will take us much longer than usual to pass the wreckage, meaning that whatever foul odour from…was it burned?"

"Looks to be."

"That whatever foul odour from the…the _bodies…_will likely be lingering in the air for a good many hours once we come upon the shipwreck itself," Kurt sighed and put a hand on his stomach. He may be the captain of the second-most feared pirate ship in the Caribbean, but he was human above all else, and the _thought _of taking innocent lives even without solid evidence made him ill.

Dead bodies always reminded him of his mother.

"Come on," Santana prompted as Kurt got off of the bed, feeling remarkably better after a night of decent rest.

He followed her up onto the deck, hopping up onto the rail and grabbing a nearby rope as he leant out over the water. So far all evidence of the wreck was rather inconsequential; barrels and planks of wood and the occasional piece of clothing floated by on the calm sea.

"Kurt!"

"What is it? Can you see anything?" Kurt called up to Jesse who'd taken up a position as far up on the ship as he could (obviously the crow's nest wasn't a viable option with the mainmast currently snapped in two).

"There's a plume of smoke coming up. I'd say we'll be there in under an hour," Jesse replied. "It looks like our ship."

"Wonderful," Kurt muttered, continuing to lean out as far as he could.

"Is this a problem?" Finn asked, his eyes wide, and Kurt knew he probably should just deny everything but he didn't want to keep secrets.

"If the wreckage is still smouldering that means that it didn't happen all that long ago. Therefore, we can assume that the _Raven _is still in the general area, and while normally we'd be able to outrun her because we're lighter and not as deep, with the ship as crippled as it is they'd catch us easily. They have a much bigger crew and…as you've seen…they're ruthless and unmerciful with those they capture. If you see a black ship on the horizon let somebody know and we'll have to take immediate action," he hopped down before stalking off to the prow of the ship, light feet taking him along the bowsprit as he moved as far forward as he could, riding the gentle waves with one hand holding onto the rope attached to the jib to keep his balance.

He was literally right over the water and one tiny misstep could send him into the drink but everybody on the ship was used to this by now and so, when he looked over his shoulder, the only person staring at him as if he'd gone mad was Finn.

"He always does this," Santana told him, laying a hand on his arm, and Kurt smiled before turning to the horizon and trying to see what Jesse could even without the aid of a spyglass. He could make out a dark smudge that looked like low-hanging cloud and his gut told him that was the smoke.

He supposed they'd just have to wait and see when they came upon it.

000

Kurt tried not to listen to the sounds of Finn emptying his stomach over the rail even though he wanted to do the same himself.

The ship was utterly destroyed; small patches still burned here and there, and the bodies floating in the water stank of charred flesh.

Finn was still heaving pitifully, hanging over the edge of the ship, and Kurt took a chance and laid a hand on his back as the other man flinched away. "I…" he clapped a hand over his mouth and was over the rail again and Kurt stepped back as he watched the other man finish and then stagger off to the cabin, a haunted look in his eyes.

"What kind of monsters would do such a thing?" Quinn had an elbow hooked through Kurt's as they surveyed the damage and the bodies; once again the _Raven's _crew cared not about age or sex; all were dead, mutilated, and there wasn't a living soul in the burned-out skeleton of the ship.

"They're getting worse," Jesse commented, and even _he _looked ill at the thought. Kurt noted vaguely that Rachel was gripping his elbow and it was the closest he'd seen the two of them in weeks. "When I was on board, we'd never…not to innocents…"

"It hardly concerns us unless they target us directly," Kurt told the crew as a whole. "What's happened is horrible, yes, but there is nothing we can do at this point. Get us out of here as quick as you can," he ordered as Quinn gave his arm a squeeze and slipped away. "I'm going to talk to Finn."

He stopped by the galley to grab a mug of water (luckily the last vessel they'd raided had had plenty of _that, _too) and carried it into the cabin, noting that Finn was slumped in the spare chair by the map-making desk and looking rather pale.

"Here," Kurt handed the water over and Finn gave him a grateful smile as he took tiny sips. "You make a lousy pirate, Finnegan Hudson."

"Never claimed to be one," Finn gave him a weak smile before placing the mug on the table. "God in Heaven, Kurt, how do you deal with that?"

"By knowing what we can change and what we can't. We can do nothing for those poor souls, so while it is tragic, it will not do to dwell on it when we could so easily be facing the same fate," he spoke quietly, resisting the urge to place a hand on Finn's arm. "The _Raven _is larger, has more crew, and is better equipped to utterly destroy any ship they choose to target. They're dangerous because they destroy everything they touch but often do not get to reap the spoils because of it. Some of those clothes I saw floating in the sea…" Kurt sighed wistfully because he could tell at least a few of the pieces were high-end London fashions and he would have given anything to get his hands on them had they not been fouled by blood and seawater.

"We, on the other hand, are dangerous because of our speed. This ship is quick enough to come up on a merchant vessel, raid it, and be gone before they can even fire a single shot at us. So the _Zephyr _and the _Raven _are equally dangerous for different reasons, but now that our main advantage has been taken away, we're completely at their mercy should they stumble upon us in this fashion," he continued, noting that Finn looked more ill with every word. "I don't mean to scare you…"

"Yes, well, you're doing a fine job of it!" Finn exclaimed, standing up and wobbling over to the bed. "I just want to be on dry land again," he said into the blankets and Kurt was _definitely _taking a chance this time when he touched the other man's shoulder, but for once Finn didn't flinch away.

"I promised you I would bring you safely to Port Royal, Mr. Hudson," he said in a low voice. "And that's not a promise I intend to break."

"Why did I ever leave home, Kurt?" Finn asked, sounding far too young, and Kurt's hand automatically strayed to card through the other man's hair. "Don't…"

"Sorry," Kurt pulled back. "I'm so sorry, Finn, I know that…"

"No, it's not…I just…want to be alone right now. I know this is your room and whatnot, but…"

"It's fine," Kurt carefully stood up and walked toward the door. "Come out when you feel ready, but I will warn you that the smell will probably linger for another hour or so."

Finn didn't reply and Kurt watched him for a few moments, wondering why he was such an expert at making things worse.

000

"Come with me," Blaine said as soon as he'd gotten above deck. Mostly everybody had cleared into the main sleeping area to avoid the stench and Blaine tugged him into…well, it was technically the First Mate's cabin, but since Blaine and Sam had taken to sharing a bed in the crew's quarters it was mostly used for when two people wanted to fornicate so the rest of the crew would not be disturbed. "Now, what happened this time?"

"He was…mournful," Kurt decided on, wandering aimlessly about the small room before seating himself on the bed and ignoring the flood of memories that assaulted him at the action. One look at Blaine told him the other man was experiencing the same thing and Kurt shook his head. "It never would have…"

"I know. And now with Sam…"

"I'm _lonely," _Kurt admitted before he could stop himself, clapping a hand over his mouth once he'd realized it. "I'm lonely and it's selfish because _I'm_ the one choosing to do this, but…"

"Kurt," Blaine knelt down in front of him and looked at him, resting his hands on Kurt's knees. "You'll find him. One day. And you know if Sam wasn't…"

"No," Kurt shook his head. "No, we could never work. It wouldn't do for a captain and his first mate to be so…intimately involved."

"Perhaps not," Blaine conceded. "But you still haven't told me what happened with dear Mr. Hudson."

"I'd rather not…" Kurt stopped as he noticed the look Blaine was giving him and knew that he wasn't going to be getting off that easy. "Fine, then. As I said, he was mournful; wondering why he'd left home to cross the ocean in the first place, and I…" he stopped and leant forward, reaching to run a hand through Blaine's hair the same way he'd done with Finn.

"Oh, Kurt, you didn't."

"He seemed like he needed comfort…"

"Yes, from his _mother," _Blaine sighed. "I honestly will be glad to be rid of him, Kurt. He's distracting you and we can't have that with the _Raven _so close,"

"Blaine…"

"I know you…care about him, Kurt, but you're letting it get in the way of your duty," Blaine didn't sound all that angry but Kurt knew the other man was more than a little annoyed.

"I'm sorry you feel that," he finally replied, standing up and brushing Blaine off when he tried to pull him back. "But I haven't said a word about you and Sam and I'd hope you'd respect my relationships the same way I've respected yours."

"You're not involved with him," Blaine countered.

"You were the one telling me to go for love when I found it. Well, I've found it, and I'm not going to stop trying," Kurt sniffed and stalked out of the cabin, trying desperately not to breathe as he crossed back to his own.

Finn was right; it _was _his room.

And he had every right to use it.

000

Finn was dozing when he heard the door to the cabin open and turned over to see Kurt walk back in, looking rather less than happy.

"Something wrong?"

"Hmm? No; nothing," Kurt informed him in what had to be the least convincing tone Finn had heard in a long time.

"I'm sorry about earlier, Kurt," he sat up and motioned the captain over, noting how hesitant the other man was to cross the room. "I was feeling a little morose and I shouldn't have pushed you away like that."

"I understand," Kurt assured him, sitting lightly beside Finn on the bed and clasping his hands in his lap. "I overstepped my bounds and made you uncomfortable. I can assure you that it will not happen again."

"That's the issue, though," Finn turned to look at the other man in profile, wondering if he should continue with this at all. It could makes thing far stranger than they already were, but like he'd said before, he knew that while Kurt…felt some attraction to him the captain had been nothing but honourable in his actions and Finn saw no reason not to trust him with this as well. "The problem was that it made me a little…_too _comfortable. My mother always did that for me when I was upset, and to have you repeating the action when I cannot be sure when I'll see her again…it affected me rather deeply and I lashed out because of it. You did nothing wrong and I apologize for my actions," Finn wasn't sure what Kurt's reaction would be to that, so he kept looking anywhere but directly at the other man while he waited for the response.

Kurt was utterly still beside him and Finn decided that maybe it would be best if he kept talking, so he cleared his throat and started again.

"I'm not _like _you, Kurt. I know that. But I know that you would never force me into anything I did not wish to do, and for that I thank you," he turned to the side and smiled but Kurt was not looking at him. "What I suppose I'm trying to say is…if you wanted to…resume your earlier actions, I would not complain."

And _that _got a reaction as Kurt turned to him with wide eyes, looking like he didn't quite believe Finn's words. "You mean that I…you'd allow me to…"

"Yes," Finn nodded. "I think I…I think I would rather appreciate it if you did."

"Alright," Kurt looked hesitant but when he swallowed and spoke again his voice was much more confident. "Alright," he repeated, kicking off his boots and moving so his back was against the wall before he beckoned Finn closer.

Finn crawled over, settling his head on Kurt's shoulder and sighing as the other man started threading slender fingers through his hair again. It was nice, and familiar, and once he overlooked the fact that it was another man who was giving him the treatment he started to relax and floated in a haze of safety.

Kurt's fingers scrubbed at his scalp, making him sigh once more, and he wasn't sure how long they sat there before the door burst open and Rachel strode in. "Kurt, we're by the…oh! Sorry!" she squeaked, and Finn looked up guiltily. He still liked Rachel and still wanted to have his chance with her, and if she thought he and Kurt were involved…

"Rachel!" he pushed away from Kurt and stood up to walk over to her, smiling.

"Hello, Finn," she replied, rather breathlessly, and Finn felt a little better. "Kurt, I just wanted to tell you that we're by the wreckage and the air is clear again if you want to come up on deck."

"I'll be right there. Thank you, Rachel," Kurt didn't look at Finn as he swept by to head to the deck, and Finn wondered absently if he'd just wrecked everything between them.

Again.

He was good at that.

000

They were about a day out of Port Royal when Jesse warned of a ship on the horizon, and by the time they realized it was heading straight for them they all knew a battle was inevitable.

"It's the _Siren," _Kurt told Finn shortly, and Kurt had been cold to the other man for the last few days although he felt it was entirely justified. He'd thought they were making progress but really it was all for nothing, and Blaine was right: the sooner Finn left the sooner Kurt could go back to worrying about important things. "She's a fellow pirate ship with a small crew and I'm willing to bet that the only reason they're confronting us is because they believe we've suffered some human damage when our mast was destroyed. We're going to prove them wrong," he picked up his dual swords and spun them around a few times, glad of the familiar weight in his hands.

"So I…"

"Will stay in the cabin. You're a liability in a fight because first of all you have no experience and second of all you're, well, rather large. You make a rather obvious target," he shrugged. "I'll get Blaine to give you a loaded pistol so if anybody breaks in you only need to pull the trigger, but we'll try our best to keep them away from there."

"Okay," Finn looked nervous and Kurt wanted to reassure him but he knew it wasn't his place to do so any longer, if indeed it ever had been. Still, doing nothing would be cruel, so he gave Finn his most encouraging smile and sent him away with a slow incline of his head.

By the time Finn had entered the cabin and Kurt looked toward the water again the _Siren _was gaining fast, and he steeled himself as he prepared for the battle ahead.

Those poor souls would rue the day they ever decided to challenge the _Zephyr. _

000

"You can come out, now," Kurt informed Finn, who was sitting rigid on the bed with the pistol pointed toward the door. "It's over."

"'Did we…"

"We won," Kurt told him with a bright smile. Truth be told it had been rather easy because the _Siren's _crew was obviously expecting theirs to be decimated and they'd been sorely mistaken.

"You're…" Finn gulped and gestured and Kurt looked down, wrinkling his nose.

"Ah. Blood. Yes, well, I'll have to remedy that," Kurt decided. "But you're free to go on deck now. I promise that all the bodies have been cleared away," he added. "I think you've emptied your stomach enough for one voyage."

Finn looked suitably embarrassed at that and Kurt shook his head fondly. He'd decided at the beginning that it was going to be impossible to stay angry at Finnegan Hudson for long. "Alright. I'll go up so you can get into some…less bloody clothes," Finn gave him a sickly smile that dropped off of his face at the shriek that sounded from above.

"_Kurt! Get up here!" _

"Quinn," he looked at Finn who nodded and followed him up, Kurt thinking about the battle and trying to remember if he'd seen any one of his crew injured.

He couldn't recall, but…

But then Blaine turned to him, a dead look in his eyes and his hands covered with fresh, crimson blood and he _knew. _

And he swore he felt his heart stop.

**Notes:**

**1. **...Yes. It's a cliffhanger. Don't hurt me!

**2. **Thank you all for the reviews and comments on this piece; I'm really enjoying writing it so it's so nice to know that people enjoy reading it as well :)


	5. Chapter 5

**Title:** Zephyr's Breath  
><strong>Author:<strong> AoiTsukikage  
><strong>Rating:<strong> PG-13 for now  
><strong>CharactersPairing:** Finn/Kurt, minor Blaine/Sam  
><strong>Chapter:<strong> 5/?  
><strong>Word Count:<strong> 2817  
><strong>Spoilers:<strong> Let's say everything to be safe :)  
><strong>SummaryWarnings:** Kurt Hummel is the captain of a feared pirate ship, the Zephyr's Breath, but everything changes when he finds a young man who is the sole survivor of a shipwreck.  
><strong>Disclaimer:<strong> I, unfortunately, do not own these characters, no matter how sad that makes me. I do, however, promise to return them when I'm done with them. :)

**Zephyr's Breath**

**Chapter Five**

Finn had never seen so much blood.

"Out of the way, Hudson!" Santana yelled as she pushed through, a satchel of supplies in her hand. "What happened?"

"Stray bullet, I'd guess," Jesse was the only one who seemed capable of actually speaking. "I don't think any of us saw it."

"Don't move," Santana ordered the blonde, placing a hand on his shoulder and looking at him carefully. "Sam, you have to stay with me, okay? _Stay with me," _she ordered and he nodded as best he could, gasping out something while she smoothed his hair back. "Blaine, he wants you."

"I…" Blaine looked visibly shaken but he nodded and crossed over, dropping down on the other side of Sam's body and reaching for his hand, bringing it up to his mouth and kissing the other man's knuckles as he held on tightly.

"Now everybody get out of here. I need to work in peace," Santana continued, glaring at the crew as a whole, and Kurt tugged on Finn's wrist and got him to follow the captain back down into the cabin.

Kurt was far too quiet as he slipped out of his ruined and blood-spattered shirt, and Finn looked at him half-naked for the first time, seeing how muscles rippled under his skin even though he was as slender as a woman. He had a rather wicked looking scar crossing his shoulderblades that Finn desperately wanted to ask about but he figured that, seeing as how Sam could be _dying, _it wasn`t really the time.

However, there _was _one thing he was curious about, and he thought that now was as good a time as any to ask about it. "Kurt?"

"Yes?" Kurt pulled a fresh shirt on and didn't look behind him.

"I know you cannot be a great deal older than I am, if indeed you are at all, but…this is a pirate ship. I refuse to believe that this is the first time you have come close to losing a crew member," Finn tried to keep that as sympathetic as he could but felt that he failed horribly.

"It isn't. But it's the first time it has hit so close," Kurt sighed and turned around, moving to sit on the bed and gesturing for Finn to join him. "As feared as the _Zephyr _is, I have only been sailing these waters for three years as a pirate. My father and I built the ship when I was younger and one day…well, that's a long story, but eventually I picked up all of my crew and while we had originally all had young and foolish plans to take from those who had too much and give to those who had too little, it all involved stealing, and so eventually we were branded as pirates and now we are what you see," he explained.

"But to answer your question: about a year ago we were caught in a particularly fierce storm and one of my crew members was trying to tie down a sail when lightning struck the mast he was on and threw him overboard. We never found him and I staunchly refuse to believe he is dead, but besides that we have been incredibly lucky. Sam would be the first…death that could be proven and…" he shook his head. "I am sorry. I should be stronger and accept that it had to happen sooner or later, but it's…"

"He's not dead yet," Finn reached to grip Kurt's shoulder, ignoring the way Kurt pressed against his touch and shifted closer. The other man obviously needed the comfort right now. "He might be okay."

"Just because nobody from my crew has died doesn't mean I haven't _seen _people die of bullet wounds. It isn't good," Kurt said rather soberly, shifting and leaning his head on Finn's shoulder in an almost direct reversal of the way they'd sat only a few days previous. "And I worry about Blaine. He claims that he's able to separate his relationships from his duties and one will never affect the other but if Sam…"

And Finn pulled him closer almost instinctively, having the strange feeling that although he would be off of this ship tomorrow this was obviously a big moment and he should be as supportive as he can. "You're just a man, Kurt. You're nothing more and it's okay to grieve."

"No, it isn't," Kurt said bitterly. "As the captain I'm supposed to stay strong no matter what happens, and to the crew I generally do. Blaine's the only one who's seen me broken, and he's not here to help right now. And I…"

"So? I'm leaving tomorrow," Finn reminded him and Kurt flinched as the other man realized he probably should not have said that. "I won't tell anybody I saw the fearsome captain of the _Zephyr's Breath _cry."

"Oh, Finn," Kurt turned so his face was against Finn's shoulder, shoulders shaking, and that and the fact that Finn can feel a wetness soaking through his shirt are the only indications that Kurt is, indeed, crying.

"It'll be okay," Finn said, because it seemed like the thing to say even though in this case it probably wouldn't be. Kurt slid an arm around his shoulders and pulled himself even closer, embracing Finn rather awkwardly as the taller man adjusted his hold a bit.

"Death always reminds me of _her," _Kurt mumbled into his shoulder and Finn didn't even have to ask about that one. "She was so…so beautiful. I didn't believe them when they told me she was dead; I thought she was just asleep. My father had to…explain it and then," his voice hitched as he choked off a sob and clutched at Finn almost tight enough to be painful. "I always knew it would happen one day…"

Finn wasn't going to reassure him any farther because he had nothing else to say, but he cupped a hand around the back of Kurt's head, fingers slipping through his hair, and just held him close.

Kurt's silent sobs quieted after a few minutes and he just stayed there, slumped against Finn and sighing quietly every so often. Eventually he pulled back and gave Finn a watery smile, looking less like the captain of an infamous pirate ship and far more like a young child who was in far over his head.

But Finn couldn't think like that; couldn't care about a…a _pirate, _of all people; not when he was leaving in one day to pursue an honourable life. "Are you…"

"I'll be fine. Thank you," Kurt sighed once more and got to his feet, scrubbing his sleeve across his face. "I need to go back out there and…see how everything is progressing. You're free to stay if you wish."

"I might come along," Finn stood up as well. "If that's okay."

"Of course," Kurt's voice was soft as they exited the cabin, and Finn wondered what they'd find on the deck.

000

"How is he?"

Blaine looked up from his place on the deck, eyes still a little too dead for Kurt's liking, and he had Sam's head in his lap and was almost convulsively touching his face and shoulders and hair as he stared at his lover. "It isn't good. Santana's done what she can but we need to get him to her father once we land in Port Royal."

"I was afraid of that," Kurt slumped beside his first mate and reached an arm around his shoulders to hold him close. "Our only hope is to capture a ship coming out of the harbour, put on nicer clothing, and hope nobody recognizes us. Finn can help, of course, because nobody will recognize _him_, and you…"

"I won't go," Blaine promised. "It kills me, but people may not recognize you on your own with noble's clothing but if they see us together a few may make the connection."

"Alright. I'll find William and we can speak with him about getting proper lumber to repair the mast as well," Kurt added, actually looking forward to the prospect of a couple of days on land. He loved the open ocean, but sometimes he missed the hustle and bustle of a proper town. Plus it meant spending a little more time with Finn and that could only be a positive thing.

"Blaine?" Sam asked weakly and Blaine shushed him, leaning down to speak quietly.

"Don't talk."

"Kurt, I'm…so sorry. I didn't…"

"Don't be," Kurt laid a hand on Sam's brow and winced at the heat that met his palm. This really wasn't good. He knew that Santana had done all she could but without proper supplies the wound wouldn't be properly cleaned and Sam's fever attested to the fact that it was something that could easily kill him if it was left alone.

He needed help, and he needed help fast.

"But…"

"Hush," Blaine told him. "It isn't your fault; none of us could have predicted something like this occurring. Just…rest and get better, okay?"

"Okay," Sam agreed, closing his eyes, and Blaine leaned his head back against the side of the ship and turned his cheek to rest on Kurt's shoulder.

"You can sleep in your own cabin tonight if you want," Kurt reminded him gently and Blaine shook his head.

"No. He told me…that he wanted to be with everybody. If it's the last…"

"It's not," Kurt promised. "I've seen bullet wounds before and that didn't hit anything that could kill him. The only risk he's running right now is that of infection and once it gets properly cleaned he'll be fine."

"You can stop being falsely reassuring," Blaine muttered.

"I swear I am not," Kurt shook his head. "I know for a fact that, if he were in danger from the wound itself he would not be alive right now."

"I'm not asleep yet," Sam whispered and Kurt chuckled a little.

"I'm just telling you both the truth. But I need to inform Jesse to keep a look out for any ships we can commandeer, so I'll leave you two to your privacy," he stroked Sam's hair again, gave Blaine's shoulder a squeeze, and stood up to make his way across the deck.

000

Finn had decided.

It was his last night on a pirate ship and he was going to take advantage of the offer that was laid before him, so he went to seek out Rachel and inform her that, if she was still interested, he was as well.

"Rach…"

He stopped as he rounded the corner, seeing her in Jesse's arms as he whispered something into her hair, and backed up hastily so they wouldn't know he was watching.

Apparently she had decided that Jesse was forgiven for whatever he had done in the past and they were renewing their relationship. He'd waited too long, and since it certainly wasn't the first time in his life that had happened, one would think he would learn.

But apparently not.

Heaving a resigned sigh he went to lean against the rail, staring at the black waters below and wondering what adventures he'd face in his new life in Port Royal.

He was quite sure they wouldn't be nearly as exciting as what he'd endured on board the _Zephyr _but he wasn't cut out to be a pirate. He really wasn't.

"Hudson."

"Santana," Finn smiled at the dark-haired girl as she sauntered up beside him, giving him a sideways smirk and reaching to take his arm. "Do you want something?"

"I saw you spying on the short one," she replied with a sneer, "and I want you to know that if you're desperate to bed a pirate I can give you a much, _much _better time than she ever will."

"I…"

"It's what you want, isn't it? To leave the ship a real man. I can give that to you and I promise I won't be devastated when you run away tomorrow and I never see you again. Rachel will be," she promised. "And the first mate's cabin is free so there's no better time. Plus, after seeing somebody so close to death I always need a little something to make me feel _alive _again."

"I…"

"Think about it. But don't think too long; I shan't wait for you all night," she smiled again, eyes smouldering, and Finn swallowed his initial trepidations.

"Yes."

"Yes?"

"Yes. I'd like you to…to…"

"Oh, don't worry, Mr. Hudson," she tangled a hand in his collar and pulled his head down so they could kiss. "I will."

000

Finn lay on his back, staring up at the wooden ceiling, listening to Santana's soft breaths. Her hair was laying partially over his shoulder and he could feel the strands sticking to the sweat the coated his body, wondering why he felt so empty.

He had done it.

He had finally become a real man. And yet…

And yet he felt nothing.

In fact, he felt emptier than before, because it was only afterward he had remembered Quinn's words about Puck and feared what would happen if the same situation were to befall Santana.

But then, if the crew was to be believed, Santana had bedded a staggering number of men and not once ended up with child so the chances were he was safe, but…

Santana moaned a little in her sleep, rubbing back against him, and Finn once again just felt the entire scenario was _wrong _so he carefully slipped out of the bed, making sure not to disturb her.

He slid his breeches on and picked up his shirt, exiting the cabin and crossing the deck to Kurt's before opening the door as quietly as he was able and sneaking in, sliding his shirt back over his shoulders and trying to carefully crawl over the sleeping man to take up his customary spot by the wall.

"You're back, are you?"

Finn squeaked in a rather unmanly fashion before straightening up and meeting Kurt's eyes as best he could in the darkened room. "I was…"

"With Santana. I can smell her on you," Kurt's voice was void of emotion and Finn realized belatedly that, considering Kurt seemed to be attracted to him, finding out he'd just bedded the most notorious woman on the ship probably wouldn't sit all that well in his mind. "Why did you come here?"

"I…"

"Was she your first?" Kurt asked neutrally, sounding unconcerned, and Finn nodded slowly. "Ah. Of course, then. You expected something…magical, almost, am I right? Something that felt like completion, like undying love, like everything you've ever craved and every dream you've ever chased was right there for the taking."

Finn looked down at the floor and figured that he'd given his answer as Kurt let out a breathy laugh.

"It does not work that way, Finn Hudson. Santana is all about the immediate pleasure and not the long-term effects. She enjoyed it; therefore it was good. You, I fear, are seeking a much deeper connection than you could ever hope to receive from her," his voice was still bitter and cold.

"I knew it was one night. I knew…"

"Then why? Just to say you have? That you've taken a fearsome pirate to bed? I expected better from you, Finnegan," Kurt's use of his full name made it sound like his mother would when she was disappointed in him and, truth be told, he felt a little disappointed in himself.

"I regret it fully, Kurt, but…"

"You can't take it back. I know," Kurt's voice softened a bit and he shifted to give Finn more room. "Come here and get some rest, then. But go wash off in the basin first; I won't be smelling the evidence of your intercourse all night," he sniffed as Finn did what the captain had asked, aware that Kurt was probably watching him as he removed his breeches but not finding it in himself to care right at that moment.

He quickly washed himself off with the cold water before getting dressed once more and climbing into the bed, reaching to touch Kurt's shoulder when the captain moved away from him.

"I'm allowing you to sleep here. I didn't say you were allowed to touch me."

Finn turned over and huddled under the blankets, facing the wall instead of the other man's back.

He supposed he deserved the rather harsh treatment due to the foolish thing he'd just done, but even if he never saw Kurt Hummel or the _Zephyr's Breath _again the last thing he wanted to do was leave on poor terms with the captain.

"Kurt?" he asked softly, predictably getting completely ignored, and he settled down and decided to at least attempt to get some rest.

He had a feeling it would be a futile effort, but he had to try anyway.

Tomorrow was, one way or another, bound to be a long day.

**Notes:**

**1. **…You all didn't ACTUALLY think I'd kill anybody off, did you? ;)

**2. **The man that was swept overboard was supposed to be Matt, so that's my explanation as to what happened to him.

**3. **I have nothing much else to say, other than that I knew Finn would come across Rachel and Jesse getting close before last night's episode aired so I didn't steal it from there. Anyway, hope you all enjoyed!


	6. Chapter 6

**Title:** Zephyr's Breath  
><strong>Author:<strong> AoiTsukikage  
><strong>Rating:<strong> PG-13 for now  
><strong>CharactersPairing:** Finn/Kurt, minor Blaine/Sam  
><strong>Chapter:<strong> 5/?  
><strong>Word Count:<strong> 2781  
><strong>Spoilers:<strong> Let's say everything to be safe :)  
><strong>SummaryWarnings:** Kurt Hummel is the captain of a feared pirate ship, the Zephyr's Breath, but everything changes when he finds a young man who is the sole survivor of a shipwreck.

**Disclaimer:** I, unfortunately, do not own these characters, no matter how sad that makes me. I do, however, promise to return them when I'm done with them. :)

**Zephyr's Breath**

**Chapter Six**

"It's a shilling to tie up your boat at the dock," the dockmaster told them once they'd landed and Kurt, looking every bit the wealthy merchant in his 'borrowed' clothes, tried to sweep past regardless.

"My good sir, we've got a horribly injured man aboard…"

"That may well be, m'lord, but it's still a shilling…"

"Sir, can't you please let us go through? Our ship was attacked by pirates and we've barely escaped with our lives," Quinn even had tears shining in her eyes as she pleaded, looking…Finn had to admit…radiant and utterly gorgeous in a powder-blue dress that suited her perfectly. "My fiancée was injured in the battle…"

"As I said, madam, I'm sorry, but rules is rules and I'll 'ave the town government comin' down on me 'ead if I don't follow 'em," he sighed. "Unless you can give me a good reason why…"

"My name is Lucelia Fabray," she announced, standing a little taller.

"Fabray! Well, God in Heaven, m'lady, go on through, then, and Godspeed," the man's attitude abruptly changed as he ushered them on and Finn adjusted his hold on Sam, hoping he wasn't hurting the blonde-haired man too much.

"Kurt, I thought you said…"

"My parents threw me out, yes, but most people have no idea," Quinn smiled at him, her eyes twinkling. "After all, it wouldn't do to admit that your granddaughter is half-pirate, now, would it? Plus the name itself is often enough to get one what they would want around here," she laughed.

"And Lucelia?"

"My true name," she admitted. "Quinn is my middle name. After all, 'Lucelia' does _not _sound like the name of a fearsome pirate. Oh, and Sam?"

"Yes?" Sam looked at her blearily.

"Blaine can never know about this."

"Me being your fiancée?"

"Indeed," she sniffed and nodded.

"Well, he shan't hear it from me," Sam promised, wincing as he jostled himself a little too much.

"Come on," Kurt motioned toward the town proper and they started to walk, Finn following the others as they made their way to Dr. Lopez' place.

000

If Kurt had to say so himself, the raid that morning had worked spectacularly. They had come across another ship bound for Port Royal and were able to intercept it even _without _a working mainmast, and while he hated displacing anybody their need was obviously greater so once they'd gained control of the ship they'd sent the meagre crew on board out in a rowboat, changed their clothing (they'd even found something Finn could fit into), and slipped into Port Royal without anybody ever noticing.

Dr. Lopez had been extremely proud of the work his daughter had done and had assured them that Sam was going to be fine but he'd keep him in overnight just to make sure his fever didn't worsen, so Kurt was combing the streets looking for William, Finn following in his tracks like an obedient lapdog.

Quinn had gone off to visit Rachel's mother and see her daughter with the promise that they'd meet up later so the two of them were alone and Kurt still _really _didn't feel like discussing…what had happened with Santana.

It was Finn's business and none of his, no matter how much it hurt him.

He continued down the street, thankful that the first pub he looked into he spotted William sitting at the bar and meandered over, taking a stool beside him and trying to remain mostly inconspicuous.

"Kurt!" Will exclaimed as he turned, reaching to clasp the captain's shoulder. "Didn't expect to see you around here! What brings you to Port Royal?"

"Injured crewmate. That and the fact that our mainmast got snapped in that storm a week back and we were hoping you could find us some lumber for repairs," Kurt returned the other man's broad smile. William Schuester was known by most of the people in Port Royal, but what they didn't know was that he'd had ties to pirates for years and could always be counted on to help out if a situation arose. Nobody knew quite what he did but it seemed to be everything and then some, and Kurt was more than grateful for his advice and his help.

"Of course. And who's this young man?" William gestured to Finn, who smiled wanly at him.

"_This _is Finnegan Hudson. He was crossing from England when the ship he was on was attacked by the _Raven _and I daresay he's lucky to still be alive. I was hoping you could help him settle in here," Kurt explained.

"Well, if I can't, the Commodore up at the fort most certainly will. Christopher Hudson's son, I presume?" William held out a hand and Finn shook it. "Your father is a hero, son. People still talk about him in this town and I doubt there'd be a single person who didn't know who he was. It's a bit of a shock to see you sailing with pirates, but…"

"My father," Finn cleared his throat. "You knew him personally?"

"A bit. I was about your age when he died…perhaps a little younger…so I didn't know him all that well, but he was a great man and an even greater officer. You looking to make your mark in the Royal Navy?" he asked.

"No," Finn shook his head. "I have no desire to lead his life and, as I'm sure Kurt can attest, I'm next to useless on a ship."

"It's true," Kurt sighed. "Dear Finn, I'm afraid, is best suited to be on land."

"Well, I'm sure I can find some work for you in town," William nodded and Finn murmured his thanks. "You have rooms for tonight?"

Kurt gave him a pleading smile and he laughed and flagged the innkeeper over, inquiring about rooms to put under his name for some friends. "It's just the two of you?"

"And Quinn," Kurt put in, but the Inn was rather full and so in the end they were only able to receive two rooms for the night instead of the three Kurt would have liked.

Which meant, obviously, that he would be rooming with Finn again.

Lovely.

000

"Kurt?"

"Yes?" Kurt turned from where he was staring out the window at the harbour, trying to decide how early they should depart the next morning. Dr. Lopez had made it sound like as long as Sam's fever was stable come dawn they could leave at any time and Kurt was prepared to take him up on that offer.

Nobody in town may know who he actually was, but that didn't mean they should push their luck.

"Are you still angry with me? You have been…rather distant all day," Finn sounded unsure and Kurt turned around, removing his heavy outer clothing and leaving just his shirtsleeves and breeches on before he lay down on the bed.

"I was never angry with you, Finn. Disappointed, maybe, because I thought you would have realized that you wanted more than just a temporary relationship, but…it isn't my business."

"Oh. If you say so," Finn got similarly undressed and climbed onto the bed, head falling onto Kurt's shoulder in a move that seemed far too natural but that Kurt was hardly going to protest.

No matter how irritated he was with Finn, he'd keep him as close as he could tonight. His fingers started stroking through Finn's hair as the other man pressed himself closer.

"I miss my mother. I know it's silly because I came all this way to live my own life, but…"

"It isn't silly," Kurt promised. "I miss my mother every day."

Finn was quiet after that, a warm weight at Kurt's side, and Kurt was going to miss this back on board the _Zephyr. _He'd gotten used to sleeping with somebody over the past week and his bed was going to feel very empty without Finn there. "I'll miss you, you realize. Not just you, of course, but the entire crew. You saved my life and I'll never be able to repay you for that," he said earnestly and Kurt stilled his hand and just held Finn there, not wanting to let him go. "And you've taught me so much about how a ship works and…and I never could have dreamed I would be sailing with pirates, after all. Especially pirates like your crew."

"We're rare," Kurt assured him. "And don't expect every pirate you meet to be so charitable. I don't know what compelled me to drag you out of the water that day other than the fact that I'd rarely refuse the chance to aid somebody in need, but I am rather glad I did."

"Mm," Finn made a vague noise of agreement as Kurt finally released him, padding across the room to snuff the candles before feeling his way carefully to the bed and allowing Finn to pull him down and settle them under the blankets, Finn's arm securely around his waist once more even though this time he had no reason to keep him in bed.

Kurt turned so that they were facing each other, taking a tremendous chance by deciding to wrap his own arms around Finn, but the taller man simply gave him an encouraging smile and allowed him to complete the action.

He was quiet and still for so long that Kurt had almost thought he had fallen asleep, at least until he spoke. "Will I ever see you again?"

"Doubtful," Kurt admitted. "That is, obviously I put into port here a couple of times a year to visit William and such and to let Quinn visit her daughter, but I probably won't actively go looking for you."

"Oh. I understand," Finn's voice was soft and Kurt realized he may have been a bit blunt, so he tried to soften the blow.

"Finn, you must understand. I may be a rather nice man at heart but I'm still a wanted pirate and if you were seen with me it could mean your death as well. It's for your own safety," he explained and it may have just been him dreaming but it felt like Finn's arm tightened around his waist. "You have the chance to start a new life as an honest man. Don't throw that away because you've found a friend in a pirate captain."

"I understand," Finn said after a moment, sounding less than happy, and Kurt let his forehead rest against Finn's chest as he tried to fall asleep. "Do you wish for me to stay? Or would it be easier for you if I slept elsewhere?"

"Easier? Of course. But I'm going to make this hard for myself because I don't want to let go of you, and I hope that doesn't scare you away," Kurt chuckled at the end because yes, it sounded a tad too possessive.

"Of course not," Finn's chin was resting on his head and Kurt still couldn't quite get over how well the two of them fit together. "I never could have imagined meeting anybody like you when I left home, but I don't regret it. And I _am _sincerely sorry that I cannot give you what you ask of me, but I hope you won't think less of me for it."

"Never," Kurt had to admit that, based on how Finn reacted at the beginning of his stay on the _Zephyr, _even consenting to _this _much was quite a radical change. "I am certain, however, that we shall both have long days tomorrow so perhaps we should try to get some rest?"

"Yes. Sorry," Finn laughed into his hair. "I suppose I am a little nervous for what's to…"

"Finn. Sleep."

Finn stopped talking and just held him even closer as Kurt closed his eyes, breathing in the scent of the other man and trying to store it away in his memory forever.

000

"Nice morning," Finn came up behind him as he was staring out the window at the brilliantly blue Caribbean; the sun was bright, the winds were calm, and all in all it seemed like a perfect day.

Except for the obvious, which of course was why Kurt would have rather it be raining and stormy.

It would have matched his mood a lot better.

"Beautiful," he responded, making sure a reassuringly false smile was on his face before he turned back to the room. "But the tide is with us so we'd best get a move on. Are you coming down to the dock?"

"You'll need help getting the mast lumber aboard," Finn shrugged. "Plus I can carry Sam to the ship."

"True. We'll miss that about you," Kurt patted him on the shoulder before redressing in the borrowed merchant's garb and heading for the door, hearing Finn rustling around in the room for a moment before joining him.

"Wait."

"Yes?" Kurt turned with an eyebrow raised, hand on the door handle, and Finn looked down at his shoes before continuing.

"Thank you again, Kurt. For everything. I know that we cannot seem overly friendly at the dock due to the public nature of its location, but…" he strode forward and wrapped his arms around Kurt in an embrace that was far too intimate to be purely casual, and Kurt clutched at him, fingers digging into the coat Finn was wearing as he held back tears.

God in Heaven, he _really _cried too much to be a proper pirate captain, didn't he?

"I can stay," Finn said suddenly, his voice not sounding entirely steady. "If you'd like; I have nothing here yet and if…"

"No. You're a distraction," Kurt said bluntly, hoping Finn would not take that the wrong way. "Blaine was right; you're not suited for the life of a pirate and I can't look out for you every time there's a storm or another ship attacks us because it would be putting my own life in danger. I'm sorry, but you can't come with us."

"I understand," Finn sighed against his hair. "I just thought I would offer."

"Live your life here. Be happy. Find somebody to marry and live your life without ever thinking of me…us," he amended, because that just sounded selfish.

"Okay. I can't promise but…okay," Finn shrugged and let go of him, seemingly taking him at his word, and it _hurt_ but it was for the best.

It was.

000

"You're sure you'll be okay sailing this between the two of you?" Will asked once they were back at the docks.

"Of course. We sailed her in here; Finn really wasn't much help," Quinn smirked at the tall man who looked down and mumbled something. "Besides, the _Zephyr's _just around the point. We'll meet up with her within the hour."

"Okay. Well, it's always a pleasure, Kurt," Will held out a hand and Kurt shook it, nodding. "I'll make sure Finn here gets settled in Port Royal."

"I appreciate it," Kurt smiled and tried to keep his expression neutral as he turned to Finn.

"Take care of yourself, Finnegan. I'm sure we'll see each other again," Quinn reached up to kiss him on the cheek. "And look out for my daughter if you see her; I'm sure you'll recognize her."

"Spitting image of her mother," Will smiled at Quinn.

"Which frightens me, because if she got her looks from me she'll likely take her personality from Puck and that's not the most pleasant thought for a mother," Quinn shook her head and sighed as Kurt held back a laugh. Puck was a great man but, unfortunately, not a great role model.

"We have to weigh anchor while the tide is with us," Kurt put in, knowing that he was being abrupt but it wasn't entirely a lie: it was as much about the tide as it was about not wanting to draw this out.

"I shan't keep you, then," Will took a step back as Quinn boarded the ship, and Kurt looked at Finn for a few moments before holding out his hand.

"Good luck to you, Finnegan Hudson. Take care of yourself."

"Same to you…Captain Kurt Hummel," he lowered his voice so nobody could hear and Kurt smiled as he shook the other man's hand. "I hope you're wrong and that our paths cross again."

"You know I do as well," Kurt couldn't resist saying. "But sometimes hoping is foolish. Farewell," he quickly boarded the ship before he could say anything else and staunchly did not look back as they sailed out of the harbour.

As far as he was concerned, Finnegan Hudson was out of his life forever.

And he would be okay with that.

It might take time, but he _would _be okay with it.

**Notes:**

**1. **I…really don't have anything to say this time around. I'm so glad people are enjoying the fic, as unorthodox as it probably is, and I THINK it's safe to say that the end of the world didn't happen so, um, hope you enjoyed the update!


	7. Chapter 7

**Title:** Zephyr's Breath  
><strong>Author:<strong> AoiTsukikage  
><strong>Rating:<strong> PG-13 for now  
><strong>CharactersPairing:** Finn/Kurt, minor Blaine/Sam  
><strong>Chapter:<strong> 7/?  
><strong>Word Count:<strong> 3023  
><strong>Spoilers:<strong> Let's say everything to be safe :)  
><strong>SummaryWarnings:** Kurt Hummel is the captain of a feared pirate ship, the Zephyr's Breath, but everything changes when he finds a young man who is the sole survivor of a shipwreck.

**Disclaimer:** I, unfortunately, do not own these characters, no matter how sad that makes me. I do, however, promise to return them when I'm done with them. :)

**Zephyr's Breath**

**Chapter Seven**

Finn wondered how he got himself into these situations.

It had been about six months since he had come to Port Royal and since then he'd worked odd jobs that William had found him; currently he was acting as a sort of guard on a merchant vessel that had to stop in some rather unsavoury places, and while he wasn't much of a fighter, the fact that he was taller than most seemed to keep a lot of adversaries away regardless.

He was supposed to watch the ship while the men he was sailing with went into town to complete the trade of goods, but they were gone nearly all night (and Finn _knew _they weren't trading. He wasn't an idiot) so, at some point, he'd fallen asleep.

And he was a heavy sleeper.

He'd woken up in the morning laying on the hard wood of the dock with the ship nowhere in sight and a hoard of angry traders around him. They'd found a ship somewhere and buggered off, leaving him stranded.

In Tortuga, of all places.

And he knew that Will would send somebody out to find him once he did not return to Port Royal, but that could take weeks and he had no money and only the clothes on his back.

Which was utterly unfair, seeing as how they were the ones sleeping with whores and he was the one getting the blame.

And so, for the last couple of days he had wandered around, starving and exhausted from trying to fend off the advances of a whole lot of women and a few of the more courageous men, and currently he was slumped in the mud in an alley, hoping some kind soul would take pity on him (until he remembered that this was Tortuga, and there _weren't _any kind souls in Tortuga).

He settled back against the damp wall, trying not to think about what he was lying in, and tried to get some sleep.

000

"It's been six months."

"I'm aware," Kurt said sharply, rounding the corner and avoiding a pile of refuse on the street. "I don't see what this has to do with anything."

"Because you're still pining for him. You're more distracted now than you were when he was on the ship and you're going to get yourself killed one day," Blaine said seriously. "I'm worried about you."

"Don't be. I can handle myself," Kurt tried to soften his tone because he knew that ever since Finn had gone he'd become surlier and his temper was much shorter. One man should _not _have affected him this much.

"With most men I'd tell them to find a whore to work out their problems but I know there's only one man you want to bed," Blaine rubbed his temples before slinging an arm around Kurt's shoulders; it was safe to do that here because most of the pirates were drunk regardless and hanging off of other people was not uncommon.

"True," Kurt steered them toward an alleyway, not sure why he was somehow guided to go down there but following that path regardless. "I know I just need to find somebody else to make me forget about him but…" he stopped as his boot collided with something that most certainly was not a rock and looked down, seeing a man lying against the wall in the dim light. Something about him seemed painfully familiar, and not just because Kurt was currently thinking about Finn.

"Jus' tryin'a sleep," the man mumbled, not opening his eyes, and Kurt crouched down, ignoring Blaine's questions about what he was doing.

"Finn?" he asked softly, hardly daring to believe it, and the man's eyes slipped open as he focussed on Kurt.

"Hello, Kurt," he smiled tiredly and Kurt knew he'd never seen a more beautiful sight, even covered in dirt and God-knew-what as Finn was at the moment.

"Do I need to save you again?"

"Looks that way. Blaine," Finn nodded to the dark-haired man, who leaned down and barked a short laugh.

"Speak of the devil and lo, he appears," Blaine reached to lay a hand on Finn's shoulder. "What brings an honest man like yourself to Tortuga?"

"An honest man's work gone horribly wrong," Finn admitted. "And now I am stuck with nothing but what you see."

"Which, truth be told, is less than nothing," Kurt wrinkled his nose. "Well, come along. For as unsavoury as Tortuga is their innkeeper only lets well-paying pirates stay there and I've managed to rent a couple of rooms from him. We shall see if he can supply us with a basin, some water for you to clean yourself with and perhaps a bit of supper. You look starved."

"I haven't eaten in two days," Finn admitted with a rueful laugh. "Food would certainly not go amiss."

"I thought not," Kurt reached a hand out to help him up and together he and Blaine managed to get the taller man down the alley and across the way to the inn, Kurt ignoring the innkeeper's protests at how Finn currently looked.

He got Finn into the room and went to find the bathing supplies and food, wondering why Fate had seen it fit to cross their paths again.

This time it would be much harder to let go of Finn, and he only hoped that, somehow, he didn't have to.

000

The water felt heavenly, especially as it sluiced the dirt and grime from his body and Finn could see it turning brown with the refuse. As much as he hated to have need of Kurt to save him _again, _he had to admit that he could not have been happier to see the pirate captain.

He finished washing and dressed himself in a pair of clothes Kurt had found somewhere, thankful for something clean after living in the mud for the past couple of days, and he had just finished buttoning up his shirt when the door opened and Kurt came in with a serving tray.

"Stew and bread. Fairly fresh and the best the inn could do on short notice," he announced, setting it down on the small writing desk in the room as Finn all but jumped on it, ravenously hungry. "Slow down, Finn," Kurt hung back near the door, wondering if he should go back to the ship for the night.

He really wanted to spend a night on land as they'd just had a rather long journey on the ship trying to track the _Raven; _the attacks were getting more numerous and Kurt was fearing for the safety of any vessel entering these waters.

And he had promised himself first of all that he was never going to fall in love and then, when that was rather effectively shattered by Finn, that he wouldn't obsess over the other man any longer.

Which, when they were about to be sharing a bed once more, was not an easy thing to do.

Finn finished up the meal in an astonishingly short amount of time before sighing and slouching over to the bed, looking like he'd be grateful to get a decent night's rest, and that about decided it for Kurt.

He couldn't stay here.

"Sleep well, Finn. I'll be…"

"Wait, you're leaving?" Finn sat up, looking a little panicked. "I thought…"

"I told you before, it's easier this way. We'll give you a ride to Port Royal again but that must be it."

"But…"

"No. I told you to find somebody that made you happy," Kurt reminded him, trying to keep his voice calm. "Have you not done that yet?"

"I have," Finn cleared his throat. "She…Will introduced us. Nobody you would know; just a girl with modestly rich parents who is perfect in every way and will make a perfect wife, but she isn't what I _want, _Kurt…"

"You've had a taste for adventure and now a normal life is too mundane for you, is that it?" Kurt sighed, because inwardly he'd been worried about this. Finn was not a normal man by any meaning of the word, but at the same time he did not have what it took to be a successful pirate.

He'd be a liability on the ship and Kurt couldn't afford that. "Kurt, I could…"

"No. Never," Kurt looked at the other man fondly. "You act like you know what you want but you _don't, _Finn. You're not like me, I know that. You could never be with a man because it goes against everything you've been taught, no matter what your heart is telling you, and being near you tonight is something I cannot do if I expect to retain my sanity. Goodnight," Kurt headed out of the room but Finn somehow managed to leap across the space in a single jump and catch his wrist, not letting him leave. "Finn. We shall never _be _anything. I'm leaving."

"Okay," Finn let go of his wrist and Kurt walked out, closing the door behind him and leaning his head back against the wood.

"Kurt," Blaine came out of the other room and sighed as he looked at the man, eyes travelling over Kurt's shoulder and a smile gracing his mouth. Kurt could hear something behind him and he turned, seeing Sam come up the stairs. He'd healed up nicely since visiting Dr. Lopez and while Kurt could still see him falter at times it wasn't a weakness that he showed very often.

But there was something in the way Blaine's eyes lit up every time he saw the blonde that Kurt knew was in his own eyes when he looked at Finn, and while Sam's injury had maybe made Blaine a little more aware that none of them were immortal, Blaine didn't look over his shoulder every moment because he trusted Sam to take care of himself.

That was the difference.

Finn _couldn't _take care of himself in an actual battle.

"Is there a problem?" Sam asked, brushing Kurt's arm in a friendly gesture on the way by before sliding his arm possessively around Blaine's waist and pulling him close.

"You'll never guess who we met in an alley," Blaine kept his eyes trained on Kurt even as he leant his body against Sam's, and it was just another reminder of what Kurt would never have.

"Well, it's hardly fair of you to leave me in suspense," Sam laughed. "So go on, tell me."

"Finn," Blaine said, rather slyly, and Sam's eyes widened.

"Finn? Honestly? Kurt, why are you not in that room right now?" he asked, looking expectant.

"I can't, Sam. I need to get away from him and…"

"No, you don't. You need to open yourself up to love and go _get _him," Sam pressed.

"You know as well as I do that he's too set in his ways to…try anything with me. He'll hold me all night but that's as far as it goes," Kurt snorted and prepared to make his way back to the ship before Sam's voice stopped him again.

"It's a start. He was reluctant to even touch you at first, so is this not progress?"

"It is, but it isn't enough."

"Do you enjoy it when he holds you?" Blaine asked, his tone serious, and Kurt has never been able to lie to Blaine so he's not about to start now.

"Of course I do. How could I not?" he asked, wrapping his arms around himself and sighing.

"Then get in there and enjoy it before we force you in there," Sam's eyes narrowed.

"Mutiny."

"We're helping you," Blaine gestured toward the door and Kurt knew he wasn't going to win this one (truth be told he wasn't protesting very much because he wanted nothing more than to go in there) so he put his hand on the knob and turned it, looking back before he entered the room proper.

"I'd best not hear anything from you two tonight," he warned as they both smiled at him.

"We'll be quiet," Sam promised.

"I'll take your word for it," Kurt returned their smiles before pushing back into the room, seeing Finn curled up in a ball, his body language absolutely miserable. Kurt undressed and slid in behind him, not surprised to find that Finn was already asleep; he was obviously exhausted to begin with.

The other man stirred a little as the bed moved, half-turning. "Kurt…what…"

"Blaine and Sam convinced me that I was being idiotic," Kurt replied softly. "Go back to sleep, Finn."

"You're staying?"

"I'll stay," Kurt nodded, yelping when Finn abruptly turned around and embraced him tightly. "Finn…Finnegan, you must allow me to breathe…"

"Sorry," Finn loosened his hold slightly but didn't move away and Kurt couldn't find fault with that. He wrapped his own arms around Finn and breathed in, smelling clean skin and clean clothing and the smell that was just _Finn _that he'd stored in his memory for the last six months.

"What about your lady friend in Port Royal?" Kurt asked after a few moments, really not wanting to speak of it but not going to be the one to come between Finn and his own happiness.

"It doesn't feel the same to hold her," Finn said simply. "Not like it does with you."

"We'll drop you back off there and then…"

"Let's not discuss this now," Finn cut him off as Kurt glared into the darkness. He _really _needed to learn the proper way to respect a pirate captain. He said as much and Finn laughed into his hair, the vibrations shooting through his body. "You're not my captain, Kurt. You're merely…"

"What? What am I?" Kurt asked, holding his breath.

"I cannot put words to it. You know that words aren't my strong point, Kurt," he laughed again and Kurt found himself smiling regardless of how he was feeling. "You're _you, _as incredibly unhelpful as that sounds."

"It _is_ incredibly unhelpful," Kurt agreed with a long-suffering sigh. "But I've come to expect that from you."

"So you will…"

"You're still getting off of my ship in Port Royal," Kurt responded with a sniff. "Nothing you can say is going to change my mind about that."

"We'll see," Finn replied and Kurt knew he'd just gotten himself into real trouble.

Right, then.

Avoiding Finn as much as possible until they landed in Port Royal would be the only option, and as hard as it would be, he'd have to do it.

Finn yawned and mumbled half-formed words into his hair, obviously near slumber, and Kurt pushed his nose into Finn's shoulder and breathed deeply.

He'd figure his problems out tomorrow.

000

"I hate to say it, but you're not usually one to sleep in, Captain."

Kurt blinked his eyes open, hissing when a beam of sunlight hit him square in the face, and squinted so he could see who was addressing him. "Blaine. Is it late?"

"Later than usual for you," Sam put in from the other side of the bed. "But we had no desire to wake you."

"It's not often I see you this relaxed, Kurt," Blaine said quietly, Kurt realizing that he'd turned over in is sleep and, based on Finn's even breaths on the back of his neck, the other man had not woken up yet. "I think he's good for you."

"You were the one telling me to keep my distance because he was distracting me," Kurt grumbled, hand seeking out Finn's where it was resting against his stomach and lightly touching the back of it. "Or do you not recall that conversation?"

"Of course I do," Blaine knelt down beside the bed. "But it seems I was mistaken. I thought about…how I would react if you told me to stay away from Sam and realized that, even if your love is unreturned, it is no less significant in your heart."

"Thank you for saying that, but we are still leaving him in Port Royal and sailing away," Kurt vowed, daring either of them to contradict him again.

They both stayed silent and he closed his eyes, savouring Finn's closeness for a few more moments until Sam spoke up, "If I may, though: you and Finn make a very handsome couple."

"Well, I thank you, but that's not of any consequence," Kurt turned around and gently stroked Finn's cheek with his fingertips, knowing he was being too bold but feeling he needed to. "Finn. Finn, you must wake up; we need to make sail."

"Is't morning?" Finn mumbled, opening his eyes and, if Kurt wasn't merely imagining it, leaning into the soft touch Kurt was giving.

"Midmorning, actually," Blaine corrected and Finn glanced over at him. "I grew anxious because Kurt is generally a rather early riser."

"I suppose I just needed the rest," Finn's hand had moved to the small of Kurt's back, holding him almost protectively, and Kurt did not fail to notice that. "But if we must be off, I suppose it is time. Why don't I head down to the main room and see if the innkeeper has any food to offer us to break our fast with?"

"If you'd like. I'm sure we'd all appreciate it," Kurt finally moved his hand away and got out of the bed, striding to the window to look out at the sunny streets of Tortuga. He heard Finn leave the room before he turned back, seeing Blaine and Sam looking at him expectantly.

"I know it's your decision, Kurt, but if it were up to me…I think I was wrong. I think you need to keep him aboard," Blaine's eyes were serious and Kurt agreed with him completely; of course he did, but he could never admit that.

"I thank you for your opinion, but you are correct: it _is _my decision," he had the sudden pressing need to leave the room so he went to go meet Finn downstairs, his heart skipping a beat when the other man looked up from the bar and smiled at him.

This would all be for the best, he reminded himself.

It was all for the best.

**Notes:**

**1. **Yes, I realize there's a perspective change in the one section and normally I try to keep the same person's point-of-view between line breaks but it had to happen for that part to make sense. :)

**2. **The weather is crap here and it's supposed to be a holiday, so…boo. I've been on the computer all day so I figured I'd finish up this chapter and post it!

**3. **Um, that's about it! Hope you all enjoyed :D


	8. Chapter 8

**Title:** Zephyr's Breath  
><strong>Author:<strong> AoiTsukikage  
><strong>Rating:<strong> PG-13 for now  
><strong>CharactersPairing:** Finn/Kurt, minor Blaine/Sam  
><strong>Chapter:<strong> 8/?  
><strong>Word Count:<strong> 2881  
><strong>Spoilers:<strong> Let's say everything to be safe :)  
><strong>SummaryWarnings:** Kurt Hummel is the captain of a feared pirate ship, the Zephyr's Breath, but everything changes when he finds a young man who is the sole survivor of a shipwreck.

**Disclaimer:** I, unfortunately, do not own these characters, no matter how sad that makes me. I do, however, promise to return them when I'm done with them. :)

**Zephyr's Breath**

**Chapter Eight**

"I have to say, we didn't expect to see you back."

"Hmm?" Finn turned, surprised to see Tina was the one who had addressed him. He hadn't talked much to the other girl the last time he had been aboard but she seemed nice enough. "Well, I certainly hadn't planned on being back but I suppose fate had other plans."

"Fate has strange plans for a lot of us," Tina replied with a smile. "Do you know how Blaine came to be on this ship in the first place?"

"No," Finn blinked, wondering why she would be telling him this. "Is it important?"

"It's atypical," she returned, hopping to sit on the rail. "After all, it's rare to hear of somebody changing pirate crews and yet not making enemies."

"He's…not from the _Zephyr?" _

"No," she laughed. "You'd never know it, but unlike Jesse who would probably be killed on sight if he ever set foot on the _Raven _without being in disguise, we're rather lucky that we _have _an ally in these waters. The _Sea Canary _was another rival pirate ship when Kurt started sailing the _Zephyr _and he decided to do some spying for himself…this was before we had Jesse, of course. Well, it turns out that Kurt may be an amazing captain but he's a horrible spy and Blaine figured him out right away. I doubt anybody but the two of them know the whole story but they became incredibly good friends and, as Blaine was still just a regular deckhand on the ship he was on, they were okay to let him come to the _Zephyr _to be Kurt's First Mate so long as the two ships remained on good terms," she explained, and Finn may not have known a lot about pirates but even _he _could tell that this probably didn't happen very often.

"The fact that Kurt and I were rather sexually compatible was a factor as well," Blaine cleared his throat and Finn looked to the side to see him standing there, arms crossed.

"So you and Kurt…"

"No," Blaine shook his head. "Don't worry, Finn, I'm not your competition in this. Kurt and I…_fit, _but we're not right for each other. We can spend the night together and enjoy it immensely but no matter how wonderful that might be we don't love each other completely. This is why he needs you, Finnegan Hudson. I…have never seen him like this before."

"I thought you wanted me off of the ship," Finn snorted.

"I did. But that was when I thought it would be best for Kurt. The past six months have proven to me that it is not," he shrugged.

"We can all see that Kurt is unhappy," Tina added. "He's missing something and I believe that you can give that to him."

"But why tell me this at all?" Finn was still a little confused about the entire situation.

"To let you know that we truly do come from all walks of life and from all situations. I know for a fact that Kurt will not feel comfortable with you on the ship until you are capable of handling yourself with a sword and a pistol, so while we may need to leave you in Port Royal for now I can guarantee that I'll find a way to make Kurt return. But you have to be sure you want this and that you'll work for it."

"I do. I will," Finn nodded. "I just…I know that I can't live my life on land, or live a normal life, not after…"

"You fit here, Finn," Tina assured him. "You may not be ready to handle yourself on this ship yet, but you get along well with us all and that's the most important thing," she laid a hand on his arm and he smiled at her.

"Come with me," Blaine said after a moment's hesitation, beckoning Finn toward the second cabin as Tina let go of his arm and went back to staring at the calm ocean.

"What are we…" Finn stopped as they entered the cabin and Blaine closed the door behind him, leaving them in the half-darkness of the small room.

"_We _are getting you over your irrational fear of letting yourself get intimate with Kurt," Blaine replied, tugging on Finn's hand and moving him toward the center of the room. "And to do this, I have made it my duty once and for all to prove to you that kissing a man is really no different from kissing a woman."

"But how…"

"Kiss me," Blaine ordered, hands on his hips and dark eyes daring Finn to challenge him.

"Blaine, I…what about Sam…"

"Here," Sam stepped out from the shadows and stood beside Blaine, smiling at Finn. "Blaine and I discussed this and we want to help you, Finn, but Kurt has to have the final say."

"Alright, so…"

"You can pick either of us; it hardly matters," Blaine shrugged. "We just thought that, since I had previous experience with Kurt, it might be easier if it were me."

Finn's mind was still reeling but he swallowed and nodded, wondering if this would really help. He wanted to get closer to Kurt and he knew that what he and Kurt had _was _unlike anything he'd ever felt before, but at the same time…

He'd been taught his whole life this was wrong; that two men who engaged in such acts were the worst sort of sinners and would be sent straight to Hell for their actions.

Was a bit of pleasure in this life worth eternal damnation in the next?

"Finn?" Blaine laid a hand on his arm and Finn blinked, coming back to the present.

"I cannot…I don't…"

"Hush. Just imagine I'm a woman."

"You're certainly the right height," Sam snorted and Blaine rolled his eyes at his lover.

"_Hush," _Blaine repeated with a rather fond look at the other man. "Finn, if you cannot get past this you shall never be able to have a relationship with Kurt. I promise God won't strike you down for kissing me," he added, his grip on Finn's arm tightening, and the taller man finally nodded and let Blaine pull his head down, lips fitting together rather nicely as Finn realized it really _wasn't _much different than kissing a woman.

Blaine was more forceful and there was a hint of a beard on his face that made it rougher, but the basic principles were the same and Blaine was, quite frankly, a better kisser than most women he _had _kissed in his life.

And Blaine kept it rather chaste, mouth closed the entire time, which Finn appreciated. He broke away after a short while and gave Finn a smile, one hand still on his arm as if to keep him from rushing off.

"There. You're still alive," he noted, eyes full of mirth, and Finn had to admit that, yes, he was.

"I…I still am unsure as to whether I could…"

"With Kurt. I know," Blaine assured him. "But if you want this…want _him_…you have to try. And he's worth it, Finnegan Hudson. He's more than worth it."

"Thank you," Finn smiled at Blaine and gave Sam a nod before leaving the cabin, realizing that he now had even more to think about.

000

Finn didn't do anything that evening, though. He was surprisingly exhausted when night fell and sat through the now-ritual evening musical hour in a half-doze, eyes sliding closed as he leaned against the mast and soaked everything in.

He could get used to this.

He could _easily _get used to this, because traders and merchants didn't just up and sing whenever they felt like it, and he still maintained that most of these pirates were the most talented performers he had ever seen.

When it came time to go to bed he followed Kurt to the cabin instinctively, wondering in the back of his mind whether the other man would push him away but willing to try anyway.

Kurt didn't, for what it was worth, and they fell asleep with Finn's arm securely around his waist like they hadn't spent any time at all away from the ship.

It was nice, and comfortable, and Finn had long since realized that he preferred to sleep with somebody in his arms. He could never do that back in Port Royal, of course, because it wouldn't do for a lady to stay overnight with a man she wasn't married to, but even when the two of them had shared some stolen moments it hadn't felt the same as when he held Kurt.

He wasn't quite sure what that meant, but he was surprisingly fine with it.

And when he awoke the next morning Kurt was also surprisingly still in his arms which, since the captain was usually up and about especially when on his own ship, was a rarity. Finn may have expected it staying overnight at the inn, but not in his own bed.

"You're awake," Kurt breathed softly, body shifting.

"You can tell?"

"Your breathing changes," the other man explained. "And I've been awake for a while. I just…"

"I understand," Finn promised, because he did. He didn't particularly feel like getting up, either. "Did Blaine talk to you about what happened last night?"

"No. Should have he?" Kurt turned around in his arms, their faces close together. "Is it concerning?"

"Not especially," Finn swallowed, wondering why he'd brought this up. "He…decided that, in order for you and I to ever have a chance at succeeding, I would first have to let go of my fear that I would be struck down for engaging in such acts with another man. So he kissed me," he said quickly, watching Kurt's eyes darken.

"He did."

"Yes. Sam was there as well," he added, as if that fact would make it better, but Kurt still looked ready to murder somebody.

"And you let him?"

"I thought that…it would be helpful. And since I have not been killed for it…" Finn shrugged. "It's safe to say the tales were wrong."

"They are," Kurt leant closer. "Does this mean…"

"No," Finn ignored the hurt in the captain's eyes at his harsh word. "I'm sorry, Kurt, but I still am not prepared for…and I have…"

"A lady waiting for you at home. I know," Kurt sighed and moved closer until they were touching all the way down their bodies, the contact intimate and yet not unpleasant. "You will hardly be able to change overnight, I realize that. And I know that your place is not on this ship, but I have to say that I _am _more than a little jealous that my first mate has kissed you and yet I have not."

"Oh," Finn laughed, because that was perfectly understandable. "Well, I suppose it's only fair…"

Kurt closed the distance between them in the space of a heartbeat, one hand tangling itself in Finn's hair as he pressed their mouths together. Finn's mouth was still slightly open as he was still speaking and Kurt took that opportunity to push his tongue into the other man's mouth, Finn resisting the urge to shove him away.

Except it was…nice. Kurt's mouth was warm and wet and his body fit so perfectly into Finn's arms and he could almost imagine it was the girl he was courting.

Almost.

Because the erection pressing insistently against his hip was most certainly _not _something a woman would ever have, and that alone intimidated him enough that he was forced to pull back.

"Kurt…Kurt, you…"

"I'm sorry," Kurt said immediately, lips kiss-red and eyes wide and frightened. "I'm so sorry, Finn, but I could not…"

"Control it. I know," Finn promised, keeping Kurt close because it really wasn't his fault. "But you have to understand that I am not remotely close to being okay with that yet."

Kurt nodded, looking indescribably guilty, and Finn pressed a soft, quick kiss to his lips to show him that it was alright.

"Thank you," the shorter man whispered, fingers stroking through Finn's hair. "But I must get up. I have duties to perform."

"Yes. Right," Finn let him go and watched him walk across the room to wash his face in the basin, smiling all the while.

He'd just kissed…_truly _kissed…another man.

And it wasn't nearly as bad as he thought it might be.

A part of him knew he shouldn't feel so relieved over that fact but he did regardless.

And, for once, he didn't care.

000

"Kurt! Sails on the horizon!" Jesse yelled a few days later. They were only a day out of Port Royal and Finn had been glad they'd run into no enemies and no storms, but it seemed that was about to change.

"Can you tell who they are?"

"No. Nothing I've ever seen before," Jesse announced and Kurt hopped up onto the rail, staring forward.

"We'd best prepare for conflict, then. They're heading for us?"

"Directly."

"Right, then," Kurt rushed off and Finn watched as the rest of the crew prepared for the apparently inevitable battle.

The captain came back a few moments later, swords in one hand and a pistol in the other which he immediately handed to Finn.

"You know what to do with that, I trust," he nodded as Finn murmured his agreement. "And stay in the cabin."

Finn wanted to protest but Kurt was already gone, so he went into the cabin to wait, and it didn't take long before he could hear gunshots and yells from outside the door.

He felt like a coward, hiding on the bed with a pistol, and he absently thought that if he was ever going to be a proper pirate he couldn't run from a battle.

He had to be out there.

Pushing open the door, he was met by a scene from his nightmares: there were bodies everywhere, blood staining the wooden planks of the deck, and for the most part the battle seemed to be over although there were still a few pirates running for their ship and jumping into the ocean as it had already sailed too far away to reach.

He heard a scuffling by his feet and looked down, seeing a man with blood pouring from his chest trying to crawl toward the rail, and an instinctive need to help came over him. This man could be anybody, really; could be _him, _and they had to…

A yelp tore from his throat as Kurt stabbed one of his wickedly sharp swords into the man's back, stilling his movements instantly, and he twisted the blade before withdrawing it and kicking the body to the side. "Get rid of him."

"You…"

"Yes?" Kurt turned to Finn, looking a little worse for wear; his right sleeve was red with fresh blood and he was limping a little.

"You…you just _killed _him! You don't know what his story was; he could have been a good man!"

And Kurt looked at him with such intense ferocity that Finn feared for a moment he'd entirely overstepped his bounds and was about to meet his end on one of the captain's swords, but all Kurt did was spin the swords around in his hands a few times before replying. "First of all, that man made a dire mistake in attacking my ship. Secondly, what kind of reputation would I build if I became known as a feared pirate who _let men go? _Thirdly, he attacked my family, because that's what these people _are, _Finn. He attacked my family and he would have killed us had we not killed him first. It may not be right and it may not be just, but if it keeps me and those I care about alive I will do whatever it takes. And lastly, I may not be your captain, but you are still on _my ship, _and _nobody _questions my orders. _Is that clear?" _

The tip of one sword was pointed at Finn's throat and yes, Kurt may have been much smaller but right now Finn was _afraid _of him. The man he'd held in his arms and kissed just a few days previously now looked as if he'd like nothing more than to end his life and he'd be lying if he said he didn't fear that.

"C-clear," he managed to stammer and Kurt lowered the blade, looking exhausted as Santana rushed up and started to look over his wounds.

Finn backed away, unsure and terrified, turning to meet Blaine's eyes. The other man looked at him with obvious sympathy but Finn knew he was thinking what everybody else on the ship also was: Finnegan Hudson would never have what it took to be a pirate.

And perhaps, in the end, it was better that way.

000

When Kurt came to him that night and told him that, since Rachel and Jesse were sharing a bed once more, there was now a free bunk, his meaning could not have been clearer.

Finn slept with the crew that night, but he'd never felt more alone.

Tomorrow they'd make land in Port Royal, and this time, Finn highly doubted he'd ever see Kurt Hummel or the _Zephyr's Breath _again.

He'd just have to accept that.

**Notes:**

**1. **Sigh. Four months until we get some new Glee, which is great for writing because canon will be canon for the next little while and it won't screw up my fics, but is bad because…well, no new Glee.

**2. **And no, I didn't write a birthday sex fic, but I wanted to get SOMEthing updated on Chris' birthday and since it's still about an hour and a half to midnight here it counts.

**3. **I think that's it. Hope everybody enjoyed!


	9. Chapter 9

**Title:** Zephyr's Breath  
><strong>Author:<strong> AoiTsukikage  
><strong>Rating:<strong> PG-13 for now  
><strong>CharactersPairing:** Finn/Kurt, minor Blaine/Sam  
><strong>Chapter:<strong> 9/?  
><strong>Word Count:<strong> 3029  
><strong>Spoilers:<strong> Let's say everything to be safe :)  
><strong>SummaryWarnings:** Kurt Hummel is the captain of a feared pirate ship, the Zephyr's Breath, but everything changes when he finds a young man who is the sole survivor of a shipwreck.

**Disclaimer:** I, unfortunately, do not own these characters, no matter how sad that makes me. I do, however, promise to return them when I'm done with them. :)

**Zephyr's Breath**

**Chapter Nine**

"I must speak with William about something. That's the only reason I am coming ashore," Kurt told him once they were rowing toward the harbour, the captain once again dressed like a wealthy merchant.

Blaine had come to Finn that morning and promised that, if there was any way, he would make Kurt land in Port Royal again in a few months to see if Finn still wanted to go through with this.

He did. Of course he did. Seeing Kurt kill that man had been a shock, yes, but he had known all along that the captain was a man who had killed before and would kill again. It was just…hard to imagine the man he held in his arms and night and who shared all his thoughts with him and the man who would stick a sword in the back of another man as the same person.

But Kurt was complex, deadly and beautiful, and Finn could hardly deny he was incredibly attracted to the man at this point. And he couldn't let Kurt leave with the two of them on such bad terms, so before they came in sight of the dock he placed a hand on Kurt's arm to urge him to stop rowing.

"Finnegan, we really _must _make haste," Kurt snorted, eyes cold, and Finn swallowed and ran his hand up Kurt's arm to cup his cheek, feeling the other man shudder beneath his fingers as his eyes fluttered closed. "Finn…you…"

"I'm sorry," Finn said honestly. "I know that…that I should not have spoken out like that. Your crew is your family and you must protect them and I understand that; I truly do. It was just…a bit of a shock to me. I've never seen death dealt out like that before, and…"

"I understand. And I am sorry for reacting so harshly," Kurt sighed and winced when he moved his arm back, pulling his sleeve up to examine the dressings Santana had placed there. "I was in pain and still reeling from the fight and I should not have snapped at you."

"We could argue all day about who is in the right, couldn't we?" Finn laughed, pleased to see a smile on Kurt's face as the other man turned into his palm. "But Kurt, I _do _want to join your crew. Not now, certainly; I'm next to useless in battle and have not yet found my sea-legs, but one day. I promise I'll work on my swordsmanship and learn how to fire a pistol properly, but once I do, I would dearly like to join you. If you'll have me," he added, seeing Kurt staring at him with shining eyes.

"I'd have you in an instant, Finnegan Hudson," Kurt breathed, his voice low. "But first you have to best or equal me in a proper swordfight. I wouldn't feel comfortable leaving you on your own to battle if you cannot."

"Okay," Finn agreed after only a moment. "Okay, if that's what it will take. I'll do it."

"Good," Kurt's hand had somehow found its way to Finn's, gripping it lightly, and Finn turned his own hand over so he could lace his fingers with the other man's. "Wait," Kurt breathed, eyes nearly glowing, before he reached up and unclasped something around his neck, drawing out a small pendant a moment later. "I want you to have this."

"It's…" Finn took it and examined it closely. It was rather well-made, small but solid, and he smiled as he looked at it. "A bee?"

"Bumblebee," Kurt corrected, blushing a little. "My name…Hummel…means 'bumblebee' in German. My father gave it to my mother after they wed and she never went a day without wearing it," he admitted. "When she…succumbed to her illness he gave it to me, and I have never taken it off. He told me to give it to the person I choose to give my heart to, and…"

"Kurt," Finn shook his head, because yes, Kurt obviously meant a great deal to him, but this went far beyond that.

"It isn't that," Kurt promise, folding the necklace in Finn's hand and closing the other man's fist around it. "It's just…to remember me by. Remember what you're working toward, and perhaps one day…"

"Thank you," Finn said honestly, opening his fist and examining the tiny bee again before he reached to place it around his neck, the shining pendant resting against his chest.

"Just…make sure you keep your promise," Kurt reached to pull Finn close by his collar, looking into his eyes for some sort of permission that Finn really hoped he was giving.

And it seemed to work if the kiss Kurt laid on him was any indication; it was far more than friendly and Finn had no idea what he was getting himself into with this, but he wanted it.

Oh, he wanted it.

Kurt kept kissing him, one hand moving through his hair and the other still holding onto his collar, and Finn let him for as long as he would before they broke apart, Kurt staring into his eyes. "I'll be back for you, Finnegan Hudson. I need to be."

"I'll be ready," Finn swore, clasping Kurt's hand as if to seal the promise, and they finally moved apart so they could row into the harbour.

000

Finnegan Hudson was ready.

It had been a year; a long year, by all accounts, but he'd kept working with some people Will knew and considered himself a rather competent swordsman. He didn't think he could beat Kurt yet, not by a long shot, but he'd stand a chance in a fair fight.

If, of course, Kurt ever came back.

He'd kept his ears open over the past year for any mention of the _Zephyr's Breath _but things had been quiet. The _Midnight Raven _was still attacking ships with increasing intensity and it was worrying, slightly, but Finn believed Kurt was not foolish enough to pit his ship against the _Raven _in a head-on battle.

So he knew Kurt was out there but he had no way to contact him and he was beginning to get impatient. The girl he'd been courting could only be put off for so long before he would be expected to wed her and of course he could not explain the reason he was reluctant to was because he was waiting for a pirate. A _male _pirate.

So he decided that, if Kurt didn't show up within the month, he'd go looking.

Go back to Tortuga, perhaps, because somebody somewhere _must _know where the _Zephyr _is.

He sighed and sipped at his ale, feeling a bit melancholy. It would be foolish of him to admit to anything less than horribly missing Kurt but he really _was _at a loss as to what to do.

He heard the bell above the door jingle and turned, always hoping somebody from the _Zephyr _would be looking for him, but instead he saw a man of obvious Eastern origin, much like Mike and Tina, who was surveying the pub intently. He was wearing clothes that looked fine but also looked like they weren't made for him and that made Finn instantly suspicious, enough that he reached for the inside pocket of his coat to make sure his pistol was there.

The man spotted him and started to head over, Finn tensing immediately, but he merely took a barstool beside the man and smiled at him, ordering an ale for himself and seemingly ignoring Finn until the Innkeeper had brought the drink and then departed.

"Finnegan Hudson?"

"Yes. And you are?" Finn knew there was no point in lying and the man was a fool if he thought he could attack him in a crowded room and not be killed for it.

Violence and brawls were most certainly not tolerated in Port Royal.

"My name is Wes. I'm the captain of the _Sea Canary," _he said in an undertone and Finn nearly choked on his ale, slamming the glass down rather loudly and coughing a little. "I see you've heard of me."

"Yes," Finn got himself under control and cleared his throat, turning to look at the man properly. "Why are you searching for me?"

"Kurt's in trouble," Wes said simply, and Finn was ready to rush out the door right then and there but he knew he had to stay rational.

"Why? What's happened?"

"You recall that bad storm about a week back?"

"Yes," Finn did, because he'd been on a ship set to return to Port Royal but they'd had to delay their departure for a day due to the weather.

"The _Zephyr _was blown off course and straight into a Royal Navy ship; they had no chance. The crew's been captured and Kurt's notorious enough that he won't get any sympathy from the government. They're going to hang him at dawn in three days unless we can get him out."

"And you need me because…"

"You're a civilian with no ties to the pirates. If you can sneak into the base and pose as a naval officer we may have a chance to release him and his crew," Wes explained quickly, and Finn wanted to help, of course he did, but…

"Wait a moment. How do _you _know of this?"

Wes smiled at him. "I expected you'd ask. The _Canary _was within viewing distance of the _Zephyr's _capture and I was able to send a message into the fort and receive a reply from Blaine. The base they're keeping him at is only a day's sail away for the _Canary _so we should make it there in plenty of time to get them out."

"How could you send a message in?" Finn questioned and Wes chuckled, motioning Finn to follow him outside, and Finn gulped down the rest of his beer and noted that Wes actually paid for his own before they left and headed into a deserted alley, a vibrant yellow bird fluttering down and landing on his shoulder before trilling out a melody. "Is that…"

"This is a canary like our ship is named after, yes," Wes reached to stroke the bird's head. "He has a special fondness for Blaine and while canaries aren't normally used to carry messages, he does so for us. Now do you believe me?"

"It's…unconventional, to be sure, but I see no reason for you to lie to me," Finn admitted, shifting his feet. He really _was _anxious to get going, maybe prove to Kurt that this time he could save _him, _but…

"Finn, you realize there's no going back form this, right?" Wes said quietly, laying a hand on Finn's arm. "The ship will be guarded and you will need to break it out as well, and chances are that impersonating an officer of the Royal Navy will be enough to land a bounty on your head. Are you prepared to give up your life here to live as a fugitive?"

Finn thought for a moment, but realized he'd been ready for over a year now. He had nothing to come back to here. "Yes. If it's…if it's for Kurt I'll do anything," he added and Wes genuinely smiled at that.

"Excellent. I'll allow you to pack what you need and say your good-byes. Meet me at the dock in an hour?"

"Alright," Finn agreed, shaking a little from nervousness and excitement, and Wes turned back before he'd taken more than two steps.

"I suppose I should have asked to begin with although you're rather hard to mistake, but can you prove you are indeed the man I'm searching for?"

Finn drew out the pendant before he'd ever realized he was moving, the tiny bee sitting in the palm of his hand, and Wes nodded.

"Kurt really trusts you, I see. I hope it isn't misplaced. One hour, Finnegan Hudson," he reminded Finn before striding off, the canary still twittering away, and Finn sighed and prepared to scrape together his meagre possessions in order to start a new life.

000

William was ecstatic for him, of course. He'd always known that one day Finn would follow his heart and he supported him fully, promising that Finn would always have a place to hide in Port Royal if he needed it.

Of course he couldn't talk to the girl he'd been seeing so he left her a note, hoping she wouldn't take it too badly, and his last stop before meeting Wes at the harbour was to explain to Shelby and Beth where he was going.

He'd become close to Quinn and Puck's daughter in the last year and loved her like his own but he promised he'd be back to visit with her real mother and Auntie Rachel before she could miss him. She hugged his knees and cried a little so he picked her up, smiling lovingly at her before passing her back to Rachel's mother and leaving, his heart heavy.

He'd miss her most of all, but he _would _be back.

"Ready?" Wes asked him once he'd walked down the dock, a satchel of possessions slung over his shoulder, and Finn took one look back at the structured streets of Port Royal and nodded firmly.

"Ready."

And he was.

000

Life on the _Canary _was different to life on the _Zephyr _but Wes was obviously a rather benevolent captain and he and his first mate, David, ran a tight enough ship that Finn felt mostly at home. There were no women on board, naturally, but they loved to sing almost as much as the _Zephyr's _crew and Finn wondered if all pirate ships were like that.

They reached the fort just before sundown of the next day and Wes presented him with a stolen Royal Navy uniform that, Finn decided, he was _not _going to ask about. It didn't matter where they'd gotten it, but it fit remarkably well and Finn steeled his nerves and hoped that nobody would question him too closely. They'd seen the _Zephyr _in a rather secluded cove as they got close, guarded by Royal Navy ships, and Finn decided they'd worry about getting her out later.

First he had to save Kurt.

"The crew is in the main dungeon," Wes told him as they rowed to the far side of the fort, sneaking in under cover of darkness and entering without much fuss, Finn pretending he'd captured the other man sneaking around the back (which was true, except for the 'captured' bit, but they needed a way to the cells) and he was told to 'throw him in with the others.'

They went down several flights of stairs, under the island proper until the walls and ceilings were damp and the floor was covered in puddles of water. "Luckily new ships of officers come in and out of the forts so often that nobody would think twice about not seeing you before," Wes mentioned as they continued to walk the long corridors, the only light from torches on the walls and, in the daytime, barred windows high up in the rock, finally getting to the cells, and Finn heard an incredulous gasp before he finally saw the _Zephyr's _crew.

"Finn!" Quinn reached out a hand through the bars and Finn took it, smiling at her. "We knew you'd come."

"I had to," Finn scrambled for the keys and undid the lock, throwing the door open as they all filed out.

"You'll have time to catch up later," Wes cleared his throat. "Right now we have to get your ship out of here while Finn looks for Kurt."

"He'll be closer to the surface," Blaine came forward, reaching to grip Finn's arm and smiling at him. "Once you get him out meet us at the ship. And don't worry, we'll have her free by then."

"I know you will," Finn nodded. "But we'll have to move quickly if we have any hope of getting out of here before they notice."

"Right," Blaine gestured for the crew to move out before embracing Finn quickly as Finn blinked and circled his arms around the shorter man's back. "Thank you. I knew you'd be here, but…thank you."

"It's for Kurt. I'd do anything," Finn swore and Blaine's eyes told him that the other man had known this already. "And besides, I think I'd like the chance to save him for once. The other way around was getting a little old."

Blaine laughed weakly at that and pulled away, following the rest of the crew down the damp hall as Finn prepared to look for Kurt.

He'd have to move fast.

000

Of course this inevitably meant he ran into some fellow 'officers' on his way to look for Kurt, although he did learn from them that, due to the commodore of Port Royal deciding to make the trip a day early Kurt's execution would in fact be _tomorrow _as opposed to two days from then, so it was useful.

It meant he had to get Kurt out of there fast, of course, and he feigned being new and ignorant in order to get directions to the other man's cell which were given rather freely and Finn thanked them and headed off, finding the cell without too much trouble and looking on fondly at the man slumped against the wall, obviously trying to sleep.

Kurt looked a little worse for wear, certainly dirtier than Finn had ever seen him, but it was _Kurt _and he felt his chest swell with the knowledge. "Kurt," he said quietly, and then, when Kurt didn't stir, "_Kurt!" _

"Wha…." Kurt blinked muzzily, opening his eyes and focussing on Finn before he sucked in a sharp breath as if he didn't quite believe what was in front of them. "Finnegan Hudson," he breathed, a smile finally coming onto his face. "What are you doing here?"

"Saving you," Finn grinned and Kurt laughed quietly, his eyes lighting up. "Happy to see me?"

"You have no idea," Kurt sighed as Finn turned the key in the lock and opened the door up.

They'd be okay.

As long as he and Kurt were together, they _would _be okay.

**Notes:**

**1. **I…really don't have much to say in the way of notes this time around. Thank you all so much for reading and commenting/reviewing on this fic; it really does mean a lot to me!


	10. Chapter 10

**Title:** Zephyr's Breath  
><strong>Author:<strong> AoiTsukikage  
><strong>Rating:<strong> PG-13 for now  
><strong>CharactersPairing:** Finn/Kurt, minor Blaine/Sam  
><strong>Chapter:<strong> 10/?  
><strong>Word Count:<strong> 2984  
><strong>Spoilers:<strong> Let's say everything to be safe :)  
><strong>SummaryWarnings:** Kurt Hummel is the captain of a feared pirate ship, the Zephyr's Breath, but everything changes when he finds a young man who is the sole survivor of a shipwreck.

**Disclaimer:** I, unfortunately, do not own these characters, no matter how sad that makes me. I do, however, promise to return them when I'm done with them. :)

**Zephyr's Breath**

**Chapter Ten**

"Don't suppose you have a key for these, do you?" Kurt held up his bound hands, one eyebrow raised questioningly. He knew Finn didn't; knew it was probably a miracle that Finn had gotten _this _far, but the blush and the way Finn dipped his head was so endearing that he couldn't possibly be cross with him.

"Ah…I'm afraid that…"

"I wouldn't expect it," Kurt admitted, blowing a lock of hair out of his eyes in irritation. "But would you happen to know where the nearest guard station is? Perhaps the keys will be around there. And we also need to find my swords," he added, because while most of his crew had replaceable weapons those swords were the only of their kind he had ever seen in the Caribbean and he was _not _letting some Navy scum get their hands on them.

"Kurt, they're just…"

"I trust you know me well enough to not finish that sentence," Kurt growled and Finn held up his hands.

"Okay. Okay, not just swords. I understand," he nods, hand flying up to his collar to toy with something and Kurt looked at him curiously.

"Is that…"

"Your pendant? Yes. Would you..."

"Keep it," Kurt shook his head. "As far as I'm concerned it's yours. Unless you want to give it back," he added, knowing he sounded fearful, but…

Finn's answer to that was to cup his head and pull him into a kiss, lips moving against his almost harshly and Kurt wished his hands were free so he could wrap his arms around Finn.

The other man broke away far too soon for Kurt's liking, resting their foreheads together and staring into his eyes. "We have to go. The Commodore…the men in the fort said that he's arriving tonight so your execution's been moved to this morning. We have to get you out of here."

"Okay," Kurt hated the loss of contact but Finn drew him into a firm embrace, nose pressed into his hair as Kurt surrendered to the other man's touch and let himself drift, savouring the feel of everything that was Finn for a long moment. "Right. We have to move. You know where the guard room is?"

"I know where _a _guard room is," Finn corrected. "With any luck both the key to these cuffs and your swords will be there and we can meet up with the rest of your crew on the _Zephyr." _

"Lead on, then," Kurt motioned with his shoulder, awkwardly weaving down the hall because it was awfully hard to keep one's balance when one's hands were tied behind their back, and Finn noticed and grabbed his shoulder to keep him on course. "How did you find me?"

"Wes," Finn explained. "He told me that the _Sea Canary _witnessed the _Zephyr's _capture and he sent a note in to Blaine who replied that he should find me, so he came to Port Royal."

"Remind me to thank Blaine," Kurt had had a feeling his first mate had played a part in this somehow. "But we can't go directly to the ship; no doubt it's being guarded by Royal Navy vessels and that would make things far too risky. How did you and Wes manage to gain entry to the fort?" he asked and Finn blinked at him for a few seconds.

"There's a back way, but I told them we'd meet up at the ship, so…"

"Blaine will figure it out. Trust me. We get my swords and head for the back exit and hopefully nobody will be any wiser," Kurt decided, following Finn down the corridor and stopping when they heard voices from beyond a door.

"Stay out here," Finn manoeuvred him around a corner into the shadows, Kurt pressing himself against the wall and hoping nobody walked by for as long as this would take. "I don't know how I'm going to get the keys, but…"

"You have a musket," Kurt resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "I know you're averse to killing but knocking people out with the butt of that will get the job done just fine," he promised, and Finn considered this for a long moment before nodding. "Now, go. Hurry."

Finn went around the corner and entered the room, Kurt leaning his head against the wall and listening intently because, as he soon realized, he could hear all that was being said in the adjacent room.

"Any news, son?"

"No, sir," Finn replied, sounding unsure to Kurt's ears. "Everything looks clear."

"Good. Can't lose such an important prisoner so close to his hanging, especially a notorious pirate captain. We'll all be paid heartily for this, I'm sure," the man replied, and he sounded markedly older than Finn. "You look familiar, boy. Have I seen you before?"

"I…don't think so, sir. I'm new to the Navy, see, and…"

"Hudson. Christopher Hudson, you're the spitting image of him," the man exclaimed and Kurt groaned. _Please, Finn, _he pleaded. _Please, focus. _

"He was my father," Finn's voice cracked a little and Kurt knew it was a hopeless cause. Finn may have claimed he didn't care to avenge his father's death but, if it came down to it, Kurt knew he would.

Anyone would.

"I sailed with him until his death," the older man's voice was softer now, sympathetic. "He was the most marvellous sailor I'd ever met and as honourable a man as you could ever hope to meet. I'm sorry for your family's loss."

"I never knew him," Finn admitted. "He was on duty from the time I was born until his death."

"Do you know how he died?"

"No," Finn's voice was rather choked now and Kurt tamped down any sympathy he was feeling because his wrists were really starting to ache. "Just that it was pirates."

"Not just pirates, boy," the man grunted, sounding rather disgusted. "The ship that would become the _Raven. _She was smaller back then and once she wrecked herself on a reef the crew acquired the _Raven, _but the ship your father and I were on came upon her and, as we were already damaged and under-crewed from battling another ship, we didn't stand a chance against a bloodthirsty pirate crew. We managed to escape in a rowboat because your father sacrificed himself and stayed behind to hold off the foes that he could. There was no chance for him to survive."

"Oh," Finn sounded awfully close to tears now and yes, Kurt felt bad for the man because he'd never heard the whole tale either but _there were more important things to worry about_.

"Your father was a hero, son; never forget that," the other man's voice was soft and Finn audibly sniffed.

"The body…was it recovered?" he asked quietly.

"No. The ship was burned as was the _Raven's _mark, even back then. Your father's ashes are probably at the bottom of the ocean. We did set up a memorial for him when we made land, though, so if you want to see it…" Kurt could hear rustling and he looked up, resisting the urge to burst in and maybe kick the man in the face. Anything to hurry this along. "There's a map, son. It's not all that far from here. I think he'd be proud to know you're following in his footsteps."

"Yes. Proud," Finn was probably nodding as Kurt heard the map change hands. "Thank you. For telling me."

Kurt's eyes shift to the window up on the wall, noting the sky is visibly lightening, and he hoped Finn would get moving because if dawn broke and they weren't out of there they were _all _dead men. "Come on, Finnegan," he muttered, his whispers drowned out by a clanging alarm bell.

"Escape! Come on, boy, we can't let those pirates get away!" the man shouted and a second later Kurt saw a grey-haired man hurrying down the hallway, Finn exiting the room a moment later and going over to where Kurt was hiding, swords in one hand and a set of keys in the other.

"And I didn't even have to hit anyone on the head," he announced proudly as Kurt sighed and turned around, letting Finn unlock his wrists as the irons fell to the ground.

"Wonderful," Kurt accepted the swords and reattached them to his belt, drawing them instantly and swinging them around, the familiar weight comforting and _right _in his hands. "But it won't always be that easy."

"Kurt…"

"Not now, Finn," Kurt snapped. "Those alarm bells either mean they've discovered I'm gone or they've discovered the crew's gone and are trying to break the _Zephyr _free. Either way we must make haste. You and Wes rowed here?"

"Yes," Finn nodded.

"Take me to the rowboat. And hurry."

"Okay," Finn ran down the hall and Kurt followed, wincing as the muscles in his arms protested the freedom of movement after being awkwardly confined for a couple of days. Luckily the bell seemed to have been ringing for the ship because the fort was mostly deserted, Kurt having to, for Finn's sake, strike two unsuspecting soldiers with the pommels of his swords to render them unconscious, and they reached the lower corridors and took the back exit without too much difficulty.

Finn pushed the small boat into the water and hopped in, offering Kurt a hand that the captain accepted after a moment. They rowed out enough that they could see around the point and just drifted, the sky growing lighter each minute as the sun began to rise.

"Thank you," Kurt finally said, rubbing his wrists absent-mindedly and staring anywhere but Finn. He knew the other man would have plenty of questions and, truth be told, there were some he didn't want to answer.

"Of course," Finn replied softly, staring at Kurt intently, and Kurt knew what was coming.

He knew.

"Kurt, I waited for you. For a _year. _Were you even going to come back?" he sounded wounded, hurt, and Kurt forced himself to meet Finn's questioning eyes.

"I was. But the Navy was looking for me and the _Raven _has increased the intensity of her attacks again and I never got the chance to stop in Port Royal. I'll admit that I had my doubts…I don't want you on the ship because I'm afraid I care too much, but I knew in the end if fate wanted us together she would bring us together again," he said. A part of him had honestly hoped he'd never have to see Finn again but the bigger, truer part of him knew that it was all he'd ever wanted.

"And she obviously did," Finn leaned across, the boat rocking ominously, and cupped Kurt's cheek in his palm. "I'll be a wanted man now, you realize, especially since that officer knew who I was. I can't go back to Port Royal, so…will you have me? Or do I still have to prove myself in a duel?"

"I think successfully rescuing my entire crew from a Navy fort negates the need for a swordfight, although I _would _like to spar with you just to see what level you're at. I need to know you can take care of yourself, Finn," he said seriously and Finn nodded.

"I understand. But I can assure you I am more than competent with a blade even though I am still rather opposed to fighting," Finn promised, thumb stroking along the arch of his cheekbone in a way that made Kurt shiver with need. "I'll be a good addition to your crew, Kurt…"

"Will you accept me as your Captain?" Kurt asked, his own hand moving upward to hold Finn's to his face. "This means you can't argue with me, you know."

"I think I can handle that…" Finn's lips curled upwards in a smile as he leaned forward, breathing the last word over Kurt's lips: "Captain."

Kurt closed the distance between them, kissing Finn with all the passion he'd been keeping inside for a year, and clutched at the taller man's shoulders in a grip so tight it had to be painful.

But Finn merely pulled him closer, nearly into the other man's lap, and Kurt felt the boat tilt dangerously as he tried to spread his legs and steady the small vessel. It was hard to think of _anything _with Finn's lips on his own but he knew that both of them ending up in the ocean wouldn't be a good thing.

They pulled apart eventually, both panting for air, and Finn pulled Kurt even farther into his lap and just held him, nose pressed into his hair and Kurt couldn't recall the last time he'd felt so _safe_.

Probably at home with his father before he'd left to make his own fortune, but he missed it, and as a pirate captain it was hard to find somebody to let your guard down enough around to admit to that.

He could admit to it with Blaine, of course, but Blaine was smaller than he was and having the other man hold him didn't have nearly the same effect as when Finn held him, practically engulfing his smaller frame and making him feel untouchable.

"Do you think they'll find us?" Finn asked after a time, the sun almost clearing the horizon, and Kurt glanced at the glowing orb turning the sky brilliant shades of pink and orange before dropping his cheek onto Finn's shoulder and closing his eyes.

"They will. Don't worry. I know my crew," he laid one hand flat against Finn's chest and felt the other man's heart beat, keeping their bodies pressed together. Finn was rather quiet, almost thoughtful, so Kurt inquired, "You're thinking about what that officer said, aren't you?"

"They…they just _killed _him, Kurt. Because he was honourable and wanted to save his crew, they…"

"Pirates. And the crew of the _Raven _have always been more ruthless than most," Kurt sighed. "I just hope you're not planning to join us only to avenge his name. I would like to end the _Midnight Raven's _reign of terror as much as anybody in these waters but right now we just aren't strong enough to face her or her crew. One day, perhaps, but right now…"

"That's perfectly fine," Finn cut him off, balking a little when Kurt glared at him. "Sorry. But honestly, Kurt, you have to realize that I never knew my father. Of course I'd like to see his death avenged but I'm not on a mission to do so. If the chance comes along I'll take it but I'm hardly going to go looking for trouble, although…" he pulled the map out of his coat pocket and studied it, Kurt glancing at it also. "I'd like to see the memorial those men spoke of. Maybe actually get a chance to talk to him," he whispered and Kurt nodded, curling up against him again.

"It really is not far. After we get the ship back and leave here we can make a quick stop there if you'd like," he offered and Finn nodded.

"I would. Thank you."

"Of course," Kurt pressed lightly under Finn's jaw, just enough pressure to prompt the other man to turn his head so they can kiss once more, and he supposes it's all rather sappily romantic with the sun rising in the background and the waves lapping gently at the hull of the rowboat. He hears a tell-tale creaking and breaks away from Finn to look, a smile sliding onto his face as he sees the _Zephyr _round the point, cannons firing at whatever was chasing her. "Come on. We've got to be close enough that they can pick us up."

Finn nods as Kurt goes back to his seat and they begin to row, luckily nearly crossing the _Zephyr's _path as a rope is thrown from the side and Kurt grabs onto it, climbing nimbly up the boat and hopping over the rail before passing it back down.

Finn, of course, isn't nearly as graceful and Kurt stifles a laugh as he ends up falling over the railing and landing in a heap on the deck, but they're back and they're safe and the Navy ships have stopped pursuing them, probably knowing that the _Zephyr _would outrun them without a second glance if the wind was with her.

Which it was.

"Where's the _Canary?" _Blaine asked Wes, who gestured to a place around the next spit of land.

"I told David to pull her in there; less chance of being seen," he replied. "Think you can give me a lift over there?"

"Of course," the dark-haired man smiled and went to relay the information as Sam came over and pulled Kurt into a hug, smiling at him once they parted.

"I see Finn got you out in one piece."

"I'm fine," Kurt assured him. "And you?"

"Minimal damage to the ship…nothing we need to be concerned about immediately, and all hands accounted for," he nodded.

"So, despite the fact that it shouldn't have happened in the first place, no harm done," Kurt decided, breathing a sigh of relief and relaxing back into Finn's body when the other man came up and put his arms around the captain.

"Is he…" Sam asked, his lips already curling into a smile as if he'd guessed the answer.

"He is. I'll make an official announcement later…"

"Because you can't resist…"

"Hush," Kurt glared at the blonde. "But yes, Finnegan Hudson will be sailing with us."

"And sharing your cabin, no doubt," Quinn winked as she passed by, her eyes glowing with mirth.

"I see no reason to cease that particular activity as we've done it every time Finn's traveled with us," Kurt tried to sound aloof but knew he was failing horribly.

He had his crew, he had his ship, and he had Finn.

Things could only get better from here.

**Notes: **

**1. **Updates on my fics may not be as frequent for the next week or so as my family is going on holiday to San Diego, but since being near the ocean always inspires me to write who really knows?

**2. **Pretty much it, I think, other than another huge thank you to everybody who's left me comments/reviews on this (and to my silent readers: I hope you're enjoying this also! And don't be afraid to tell me what you think, I promise I won't bite!).


	11. Chapter 11

**Title:**Zephyr's Breath  
><strong>Author:<strong> AoiTsukikage  
><strong>Rating:<strong> R for now  
><strong>CharactersPairing:** Finn/Kurt, minor Blaine/Sam  
><strong>Chapter:<strong> 11/?  
><strong>Word Count:<strong> 2747  
><strong>Spoilers:<strong> Let's say everything to be safe :)  
><strong>SummaryWarnings:** Kurt Hummel is the captain of a feared pirate ship, the Zephyr's Breath, but everything changes when he finds a young man who is the sole survivor of a shipwreck. Also, the rating has gone up. I trust you all know what that implies…

**Disclaimer:** I, unfortunately, do not own these characters, no matter how sad that makes me. I do, however, promise to return them when I'm done with them. :)

**Zephyr's Breath**

**Chapter Eleven**

Kurt stood on the beach, barefoot, toes digging into the coarse, damp sand at the edge of the waterline as he rested a hand on the hilts of his swords and stared at the ocean.

He and Finn had come ashore to the place marked on the map and had found a small memorial; little more than a cairn after all these years but the stones remained intact and were obviously what Finn was looking for.

He was quiet as they stared at the rock formation, thoughtful and sombre, and Kurt had patted his shoulder and left him alone for a time to do as he would.

The day was beautiful, warm and sunny, the waves reflecting the sunlight and dazzling his eyes as he stared at the horizon.

It was one of those days that he was proud to be alive and a free man, answering to nobody but himself, and the world felt like his for the taking. And the night, he knew, would be beautiful; the air still warm, the sky cloudless and full of countless stars, and the part of him that waxed poetic and believed in romance and true love wished he and Finn could stay on shore and make love under those stars, lost in each other and forgetting about the world for a few brief hours.

It was all wishful thinking, of course. Finn may have been okay with kissing him but that was as intimate as he was likely to get for a while.

Kurt sighed, staring down at the tiny furrows his clenching toes made in the sand, and he turned when he heard bootsteps on the ground and Finn marched up beside him. "You've made your peace?" he asked softly.

"What I can. As I said, I never knew him. It's…difficult to pour your heart out to a near complete stranger, even if he _is _my father."

Kurt reached to grip Finn's forearm, smiling reassuringly at him, and Finn eventually settled an arm around his shoulders and pulled him in tight, placing a soft whisper of a kiss into his hair. "Shall we go?"

"I'd like to stay for a bit. It's such a lovely day," Kurt knew he was being selfish because they _did _need to get going in case some of the Navy ships discovered they were still in the general area, but he couldn't care.

"It really is," Finn's arms came around him from behind and he laid his chin on Kurt's head, mussing his already wind-swept hair and earning a rather half-hearted protest from the captain. "We can stay for a bit, I suppose. You're the captain," he teased gently and Kurt was regretting ever using that threat on the other man if _this _was what he was going to turn it into.

"Stop it," he leaned back into Finn's body, feeling strong arms supporting him, and Finn kissed his neck as the shorter man sighed and let himself go nearly boneless, trusting Finn to hold him up.

And he did, without complaint.

This, Kurt thought, was going to work out perfectly. Finn was somebody he could literally lean on and sometimes he needed nothing more than that, than to just let the responsibilities and duties that came with being a captain go and trust somebody else to look out for him for a short while. "We shouldn't linger. Not with the Navy…" he couldn't say any more, not with the attention Finn was paying to his neck, hands unbuttoning his coat and pulling it away from his body.

"We can't be seen, can we?" Finn murmured against his skin and Kurt glanced at the ship and shook his head. Unless somebody was watching them with a spyglass…unlikely…they would be fine.

"No. We should be out of sigh…" he gasped as Finn undid his shirt as well, hands skimming over his sides, and maybe Kurt was mistaken about how far Finn would allow himself to go.

Or perhaps the other man was just frustrated from courting a girl and doing nothing for so long that any willing body would invoke this reaction.

He hoped it wasn't that.

Finn eased his shirt off, Kurt wanting to complain about it landing in the sand but he couldn't find the words with Finn touching him so gently. He touched as much of Kurt's bared skin as he could, large hands hot and heavy on the other man's flesh, and Kurt couldn't imagine ever feeling safer.

And he didn't trust easily.

He'd learned that the hard way.

"Kurt?" Finn asked after a time, his hands coming to rest on Kurt's shoulders, and Kurt _knew _this was coming ever since he'd changed in front of the other man over a year and a half ago. "Can I ask?"

Kurt took a deep breath and decided that, even though he hadn't dwelt on it in years, perhaps talking about it would help him move forward.

It certainly couldn't hurt.

"You can. But bear in mind what I'm about to tell you I have never told anybody else, and the only other person who knows of this is Blaine and this is only because he witnessed it first-hand," Kurt preceded his tale with this, feeling Finn's grip tighten minutely on his shoulders and figuring that this was his way of agreeing. "And, if you'd be so kind, keep touching me. I need…something to keep me here."

Finn's response to that request was to bodily hug him, lanky arms wrapping around Kurt and holding him tight to the other man's body as he let his chin rest on Kurt's hair again. "Okay. I can do that."

"Thank you," Kurt let Finn hold nearly all of his weight as he sighed and began to speak. "It happened just after my rather horrible spy mission on board the _Sea Canary. _They had dropped me off at a small pirate town…not Tortuga…to wait for the _Zephyr _to pick me up, and while I waited I was ambushed by a group of rather large, uncouth men.

"They…" he took a deep breath and choked out the next few words, trying to keep his emotions in check and detach himself from the memories this was invoking. "They drug me into an alley and pressed me up against the wall, stripping me and…" he felt Finn's arms tighten and his breath started to come quickly. He tried to calm himself down, remembering the feel of the rough stone against his hands and the warm, stinking bodies behind him and…

"Kurt…Kurt, if you don't wish to…"

"I have to, Finn. I _have _to," Kurt swallowed, took a couple of deep breaths, and continued to speak. "They…I was naked, helpless, and one of them had a sword levelled at me so I couldn't protest. Blaine had…had come onto shore to buy some supplies and had seen them push me into the alley, and he surprised them and somehow in the scuffle the man holding the sword was jostled and it ended up slicing across my back, but at least I was able to procure it after that and Blaine and I held them off. They were cowards and they ran as soon as we resisted, but…"

"So they…they never…"

"No, thank God," Kurt shuddered. "But it was too close…far too close. I can still feel their hands, smell their breath, I…"

"Shh," Finn soothed him. "It isn't them, Kurt. It's me. Just me," he promised, hands spreading to cover as much of Kurt's chest as he could and keeping him held tightly. "What happened then?"  
>"I asked Blaine to join my crew," Kurt laughed bitterly. "I was naked and shamed and utterly terrified and it was the first thing that came out of my mouth, but he just embraced me and helped me redress and told me he'd try, and Wes let him go that same day. And that night…we slept together. I had to erase those vile touches with something that felt right and real and Blaine was willing to help. We both knew it was hardly love and it was hardly going to last and we accepted that, but…it helped. He was everything I could have asked for and without him I'm not sure I could have come back so quickly."<p>

"So your crew…"

"They have no idea. And, if I have it my way, they shall never find out," he sighed and turned around, eyes seeking out Finn's dark ones as he raised a hand to card it through Finn's hair, noting the sympathy and caring in Finn's eyes. He wasn't disgusted and he wasn't pitying; he just _understood _and Kurt couldn't have asked for more than that.

"They won't hear it from me," Finn vowed, dipping his head slowly and taking Kurt's lips in a gentle kiss as Kurt slid his arms around Finn's neck and opened his mouth, deepening the kiss and shivering as Finn's hands stroked over the long scar on his back.

Finn pulled back a moment later, still holding him close, and Kurt appreciated all of this more than Finn would ever know.

"Thank you for telling me," Finn cleared his throat and smiled at him, looking a little broken. "I can't…you really are an amazing person, Kurt. But I want you to know that if you…if you need to break down, I'll be here to catch you," he promised, kissing Kurt's forehead.

"I know. And I cannot thank you enough for this," Kurt embraced Finn once more and held him close, shifting his shoulders a little when the sun began to be overly warm on his back.

"Kurt, I swear, you have got to be the most pale pirate I have ever met," Finn rested their foreheads together and laughed as Kurt shoved weakly at his chest.

"I don't make a habit of walking around shirtless, as you know," Kurt sniffed. "And I'm rather sensitive to the sun. It's horribly unattractive to be sunburnt to a point where you look like a bright red apple."

"You look…delicate," Finn brushed his cheek softly. "You aren't…you're the strongest person I know, but you look it and…" he sighed and stopped, hand hovering over Kurt's face before he dropped it to his side. "We should be heading back, I think."

Kurt looked at him, a slow smile spreading across his face as he did so.

It would be a long time before they had another opportunity like this one and, like the last time with Blaine, he _really _needed somebody to make touching feel alright instead of the horrible ghosts he remembered.

"I think they can wait a little longer."

000

The island was tiny and, to Finn's eyes, one side looked remarkably like the next.

Except this side had Kurt stripping off his breeches, standing in front of Finn in all of his naked glory.

And, the taller man thought wonderingly, he _was _glorious.

Alabaster skin and legs that went on forever and just the slightest hint of redness in his cheeks and on the crown of his half-erect cock, he truly was a sight to behold. Lithe and powerful and, in that moment, nothing less than a confident young man.

"But we're laying on your coat," Kurt told him, his tone the same one he used to order his crew around. "I'm not dirtying mine with sand and I'm not doing this without it and getting sand in rather unmentionable places. I'm not sure what romantic delusions you've heard about lovemaking on the beach but I can assure you that it is not pleasant."

"Ah…" Finn stammered out, because yes, both of them reaching completion was first and foremost in his mind but 'lovemaking' was taking it a bit too far.

He'd only had intercourse once, with Santana.

And it had been awkward and uncomfortable and more than a little messy.

He certainly wasn't ready to attempt that step with Kurt yet, and the captain seemed to understand that and nodded in reply to his unvoiced answer.

"Okay. We won't go that far. Yet. But we're still using your coat," he decided and Finn complied, spreading it out on the sand and stripping his body of all clothing before looking up at Kurt, nervous although he'd never admit it.

Kurt only stared back with a rather frightening hunger in his eyes, reaching for Finn and touching all the skin he could, and the intimate sensation was enough to make Finn moan with need and not protest when Kurt lowered him onto the coat, straddling the taller man's legs and hovering over him to press teasing kisses to his mouth.

"What are…what are we…"

"Just this," Kurt braced himself, hands on either side of Finn's body, and drove his hips down.

Finn felt a tremor run through his entire body, a shock that made every fibre of his being sing, and Kurt's eyes were wide and happy and he looked overjoyed that he was able to do this.

And, Finn supposed, he'd been waiting nearly two years for this moment. He supposed the happiness was justified.

Kurt kept moving his hips, Finn eventually placing his hands on them to help direct his movements, and he'd never admit it but he had a problem lasting when it came to anything of this nature, so it was far too soon that he was gasping and groaning and trying to hold out, that feat proving nearly impossible with how close he was to the edge already.

He reached his completion with a stuttered cry, feeling Kurt shudder above him before he sat up farther and took himself into his own hand, his free hand braced against Finn's shoulder as he stroked himself quickly and harshly, his entire body going utterly stiff as his mouth opened in a wordless cry, head thrown back and hot, sticky ropes of fluid shooting onto Finn's chest and, by God, if Kurt in that moment wasn't the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen he wasn't sure what was.

Kurt slumped beside him, weak and exhausted, and he absently traced patterns in the unsoiled skin of Finn's chest while he caught his breath.

Finn, for his part, was still trying to rationalize the entire situation.

It had happened.

He had enjoyed it.

And, as Kurt grabbed Finn's necktie and headed to the water to wet it, flawless skin gleaming with sweat in the sunshine, he realized that he was _happy _it had happened, unlike the time with Santana when he'd merely felt numbness and disgust.

Kurt ran his fingers through the milky fluid staining Finn's torso, a rather telling smirk on his face. "You're mine, Finnegan Hudson. I've literally marked you now."

Finn laughed, both from the seriousness of his tone and the ticklish sensations as Kurt cleaned him up (and he was too sated to even complain that Kurt was ruining his perfectly good necktie by doing so), and pulled him in for a tender kiss when he had finished. "Yours," he agreed. "As long as you'll have me."

"Forever," Kurt said without hesitation, kissing him again, and after that they merely lay there for a time in the warm sunshine, Finn's hand skimming over Kurt's back as waves of contentment rolled over them both and Finn wished the moment would never end.

Turning to the side, his eyes caught sight of a ship and he stared. "Kurt? There's…"

Kurt turned as well, his body going tense as he scrambled for his clothes. "It's the _Raven. _We have to get back to the ship before she rounds the island and sees it. Here," he threw Finn's clothes at him and Finn tried his best to get dressed quickly.

He should have guessed something like this would have ruined the most perfect moment of his life.

But then, he'd almost come to expect these things.

It was, he supposed, all part of being a pirate. And he'd just have to live with it.

**Notes:**

**1. **Sorry if I wax poetic about the ocean too much. I only get out here a few times a year and I love the ocean so that might be why. :)

**2. **Learned today that the proper term for a group of ravens, as opposed to a flock or a murder or something, is an 'unkindness.' Somebody really must not have liked ravens! (On another note, a group of owls is called a 'parliament' and a group of peacocks an 'ostentation.' I thought those were rather appropriate xP)

**3. **If you've read my vamp!Kurt fic you'll understand this: my father was looking for travel cologne today and both my mother and I tried to convince him to get Armani Code. He said it was too expensive even though it was from a discount store, but we tried xP


	12. Chapter 12

**Title:**Zephyr's Breath  
><strong>Author:<strong> AoiTsukikage  
><strong>Rating:<strong> R for now  
><strong>CharactersPairing:** Finn/Kurt, minor Blaine/Sam  
><strong>Chapter:<strong> 12/?  
><strong>Word Count:<strong> 3243  
><strong>Spoilers:<strong> Let's say everything to be safe :)  
><strong>SummaryWarnings:** Kurt Hummel is the captain of a feared pirate ship, the Zephyr's Breath, but everything changes when he finds a young man who is the sole survivor of a shipwreck.

**Disclaimer:** I, unfortunately, do not own these characters, no matter how sad that makes me. I do, however, promise to return them when I'm done with them. :)

**Zephyr's Breath  
>Chapter Twelve<strong>

Luckily the _Raven _wasn't intent on circling the island and so the _Zephyr _remained unseen, even though Finn had nearly twisted his ankle tripping over a rock half-hidden in the sand as they made a mad dash for the ship.

"You're fine," Kurt told him as they climbed onto the deck, their clothes still a little askew and earning rather knowing glances from most of the crew members.

Surprisingly, it didn't bother Finn as much as he thought it might. They'd always known of Kurt's attraction to him and had known they'd shared a cabin for most of the times Finn had traveled on the _Zephyr _before, so the fact that they'd taken this step couldn't have come as a great surprise.

Rachel looked sad as she peered at him, brown eyes melancholy, and Finn felt a little remorse even though she was, by all accounts, still sharing a bunk with Jesse.

Still, it wasn't anything to dwell upon. He had Kurt now, after all, and even though part of him was still worried about the religious and social ramifications of their relationship, he mostly didn't care so much anymore.

It just felt…_right _when he was with Kurt, and it couldn't be wrong if it felt that way.

He knew that.

"Alright, lads and ladies, what say you to stopping at the Island for a few days? We've had a bit of a rough go of it and a couple of days rest would certainly not go amiss. All in favour?"

"Aye!" came the nearly simultaneous response from the crew, and as the ship sailed away from the memorial to Finn's father he walked up to Kurt and inquired about their destination.

"The Island," Kurt shrugged. "Well, to be more precise, Isla de Canción. The Island of Song," he explained at Finn's rather blank look. "Mercedes grew up near there and once it housed a thriving village, but near the time she was born the villagers all moved on. Nobody knows why, but the island _is _rather secluded and a beach village would be perfect for pirate ships to raid so he belief is that they moved on to avoid the increased pirate activity in the area.

"Regardless, there are several well-built huts and places to store food, so that's where our ship makes berth," he finished.

"I didn't know pirate ships…"

"We have to have _some_where safe to stop in order to resupply and repair the ship. Tortuga's harbour may be safe for pirates but you run the risk of your ship being raided by other pirate crews, so we needed a place all our own and Isla de Canción seemed to be the perfect fit," Kurt smiled, looking rather dreamily at Finn, and Finn couldn't help but pull him in and kiss him softly. "Lovely, Finnegan, but we _must _behave respectably while in the presence of my crew. You can do that," he promised as Finn began to protest, "but nothing else. Not until we're in the cabin. Okay?"

"Okay," Finn conceded, thinking with a bit of a shock that _he _was the man who, a scant two years ago, had seen Blaine and Sam kissing and had promptly emptied the contents of his stomach over the side of the ship.

And now he wanted nothing more than to kiss this man in front of him and never stop.

Times change, he supposed, although he never could have guessed they would have changed _this much_.

"And besides," Kurt hooked slender fingers in his collar and pulled his head down, whispering against his lips, "The chieftain of the village had a large, rather well-equipped hut. As the Captain of this ship, it's mine now, and nobody will bother us…"

"Oh," Finn's throat went dry at the words, because he was still not ready for…sodomy, at least not in that regard, but what he and Kurt had done on the beach had been…well…_pleasant, _and he wouldn't mind doing more of that. "Good."

"It is," Kurt agreed, a happy light in his eyes. "But come. There's work to be done, and now that you're a proper member of this crew you have to pull your weight."

Finn sighed and nodded, following Kurt farther onto the ship.

000

The island only took them until the next afternoon to get to, and Kurt showed him the storage room under the sand ("Rum-runners, we think. At any rate, it's useful and we're not complaining if it keeps our foodstuffs from going bad") before leading him into the hut, built of sturdy local wood and with a palm-thatched roof.

They had to bring blankets and bedding over from the ship, of course, as it wouldn't weather very well, but there was a rather comfortable platform against the wall as well as a table and space for a fire that was vented out the ceiling, and all in all it was…well, not as nice as where he had been staying in Port Royal, but rather nice.

"How long are we to stay here?" Finn inquired as they brought their possessions into the hut, Kurt dropping the blankets onto the bed platform before he turned to regard Finn.

"A few days. Just enough for us to rest up and be ready to sail on again. We'll need to take a merchant vessel soon, I fear, so we can take some money to buy more supplies, but in these waters that should not be an issue," he decided, rolling his shoulders and sighing. "But first I think some relaxing is in order. Come on," he led Finn out of the cabin to the communal area in the center of the village where there was a roasting pit and…Finn wasn't going to ask…they had an _entire pig _they were preparing.

"Ah."

"Yes. We think that at one point the same Rum-runners that made the storage cave also lived here full-time and some of their stock must have gotten loose. As such, there _are _wild pigs on the island, which is only an advantage to us," he smiled and Finn nodded, wondering how lucky Kurt and his crew actually _were, _because this was a little mad. "And feel free to dress down; you don't have to impress anybody," Kurt nudged him gently in the side and Finn nodded, noting that most of the men were shirtless and the women wearing little more than what could be considered socially appropriate (and Santana a little less than that, but this wasn't a surprise).

Kurt patted his chest and moved away to examine the fire and Finn sighed and unbuttoned his shirt, sliding it off and heading back into the hut to drop it on the bed. He came outside again, shading his eyes from the sun.

"Finn."

"Puck," Finn glanced at the other man and gave him a wary smile. Puck intimidated him a little and they hadn't really spoken all that much but Quinn was incredibly nice and Finn couldn't imagine her being with somebody who was a complete boor.

"So. You and the Captain," Puck clicked his tongue and whistled between his teeth, looking at Finn appraisingly. "Not that I would ever choose to…engage myself with another man, but if I _did…_I can see what he sees in you."

"Thank you? I think?" Finn squinted, wondering where this was going.

"Just…all of us are very protective of Kurt. He may be our Captain but he has…demons in his past that he will not speak of."

Finn nodded to that, knowing exactly what the 'demons' Puck was talking about were.

But, of course, he'd never betray Kurt's trust by admitting that.

"So, I trust you know that if you harm him…harm his heart…in any way, you will not be leaving this ship alive," Puck's dark eyes got even darker with his words

"I understand that. And I hope you know that I would never intentionally hurt him," Finn tried to sound as honest as he could, swallowing heavily as he spoke the words.

"I believe you. I do," Puck assured him, shifting so that Finn couldn't help but stare at the defined muscles of his torso and the even tan he had seemingly over his entire body. Truth be told, _he _couldn't truly see what Kurt saw in him when he was around people like Puck all day, but he was rather grateful Kurt _did _see something. "But not so long ago you could not stomach the thought of two men being intimate and now you suddenly are okay with it?"

And Finn thought it was remarkable that Puck should bring up the exact same thoughts he himself had had earlier in the day, but the good thing about this was that it had given him a chance to think through everything in his own mind. "I realize that," he said slowly. "And, truth be told, I still feel a tad ill at the thought of two men engaging in such activities, but when I'm with Kurt…when we're together…it suddenly doesn't matter so much. It isn't men," Finn decided with a shake of his head. "I can't see myself with any other man save him, and I still find women attractive, so…"

"He is special. He draws people to him…people that need something, that are hurting, that need a place to belong. All of us here were people like that, Finn, and all of us owe him something," Puck's dark eyes were still serious but not nearly as threatening, now, and Finn wondered what the other man's story truly was. "Well, I just thought it was my duty to give you fair warning," Puck gave him a rather jaunty grin before clapping him on the shoulder. "Don't break his heart."

"I won't. I couldn't," Finn promised, shaking Puck's hand when the other man offered it. "And I'll protect him with my life if I have to."

"After risking yourself to save him? I don't doubt it. But come on, I'm sure the food's nearly ready," Puck slung a rather companionable arm across his shoulders and steered him toward the firepit, their conversation turning to much lighter topics.

And, Finn thought, he was fairly sure he'd get along with Puck just fine.

000

Supper, Finn had to admit, was delicious, and they all sat around the fire for their customary evening song hour while Finn glanced around and just took in the entire group of them.

What Puck had said made sense; most of them he couldn't really see as being true _pirates _and if they all had stories like Kurt, or like Quinn, there was definitely something connecting them that ran deeper than the bonds of just being part of the same crew or serving under the same captain.

It was what made the crew of the _Zephyr's Breath _so unique and why Finn was, in all reality, kind of proud to be a part of it. His life had been normal enough, sure, but there always _had _been something missing, a void in his soul that Kurt had filled almost instantly and at the moment he was incredibly glad he'd gone with Wes to head up the rescue mission, no matter what the bounty on his head may now be.

He glanced around the fire, seeing Blaine and Sam pressed together, talking in low voices and exchanging chaste, sweet kisses every so often, hands roaming freely across the bared skin of their chests and backs but never dipping low enough to make anybody watching uncomfortable.

His gaze shifted to Kurt, sitting beside him and staring into the distance, and he debated whether his next planned move was going to elicit positive results before deciding to just _go for it, _tugging Kurt's arm as the other man moved obligingly and ended up between Finn's spread legs, back to Finn's chest as Finn wrapped his arms around the other man and dropped his chin onto Kurt's shoulder, feeling his breath and matching his own breathing to it.

Kurt turned his head enough so they could kiss softly, barely pressing their lips together as Finn somehow managed to undo the buttons on Kurt's shirt (the captain had, as usual, decided not to remove any of his clothing. Finn could not for the life of him understand why besides the fact that he burnt easily, but really, the more time one spent in the sun the more their skin grew used to it), pulling the fabric away from his chest as he slid his hands over Kurt's flat stomach and let them rest there, Kurt sighing in obvious pleasure at the action.

"I saw you and Noah before," Kurt murmured, tipping his head back to speak directly into Finn's ear. "He wasn't threatening you, was he?"

"In a way. Told me that if I hurt you I'd be dead before I could leave the ship," Finn shrugged, feeling Kurt's answering groan reverberate through his body.

"I'll have a word with him. His intentions are purely noble, I think, but I'd rather have him _not _scare you away," Kurt tilted his head back farther, baring his neck almost in invitation, and Finn took advantage of that as he kissed at the pale skin there, sucking gently as Kurt moaned softly into his ear, one arm coming up to twine fingers in Finn's hair as he arched his back. "And I think this is…mmm, Finn…getting a tad too intimate for general viewing. Shall we take this inside?"

And yes, Finn was still apprehensive; still worried about how far Kurt would want to go, but…

But he wasn't going to say no.

He couldn't.

So he didn't.

000

The cabin was dark, lit only by the small fire Kurt had started in the pit, and Finn watched him undress with obvious hunger in his eyes. Kurt's skin had turned whiskey-gold in the firelight and Finn still couldn't stop staring at him, long-limbed and quietly powerful, and he quickly shed his own clothing and pulled Kurt to him, pressing their bodies together and marvelling that it could feel so natural.

Kurt draped his arms around Finn's neck, kissing him softly, and Finn returned the kisses just as chastely, waiting for Kurt to make the first move.

"I wish to try something," Kurt said, his voice pitched low. "Blaine and I did this a few times but you don't have to agree."

"What…" Finn swallowed, nervous but unwilling to admit it, and Kurt seemed to take that as a permission of sorts as he guides Finn to sit on the bed before sinking to his knees between Finn's spread legs. "Kurt, no," Finn shook his head as he realized Kurt's intentions. "No, you needn't do that…"

"I wish to. It's rather pleasurable," Kurt promised, eyes meeting Finn's for a moment.

"Perhaps, but it is such a…whores do it," Finn finally settled on, wrinkling his nose, and Kurt sighed in resignation.

"Allow me to try, at least? If you do not like it we need not continue, but…" he moved forward before Finn could properly protest, tongue licking just the tip of Finn's arousal, and the taller man shuddered at the action. "So does this mean I have permission?"

"I…yes. I suppose," Finn _still _thought it was a rather base and degrading action but if Kurt wished to… "Oh, dear God," Finn moaned as Kurt slid his mouth over the head of Finn's leaking cock, suckling gently as Finn tried to keep his hips steady although it was difficult. Kurt's mouth was warm and wet and fit around his arousal like a perfectly-fitted glove and he could safely say that, even being inside of Santana, he'd never felt anything like this.

His fingers travelled downward without him noticing and firmly gripped Kurt's hair, the action causing the other man to look up briefly but not stop what he was doing.

Kurt moved forward a bit, taking as much of Finn's cock as he could, and Finn groaned deep in his throat and started to pant, shallow breaths all he could muster as Kurt began to hum, Finn's cock twitching and he was close already, so close it was nearly painful but as unappealing as it was for Kurt to be doing this in general if Finn were to climax without removing his cock? That would be unacceptable.

"Kurt…Kurt, I must warn you, I…"

But Kurt merely reached up to grab his hip, fingers digging into the flesh as he sucked harder, cheeks hollowed and there was no possible way Finn could hold out and he reached his completion with a sharp gasp, hips pumping shallowly as Kurt stroked his skin almost as if to let him know that this was okay.

He stilled after a time, body collapsing on the makeshift bed, and Kurt got to his feet before draping his body over Finn's and kissing him, Finn tasting something briny and not entirely unpleasant on Kurt's tongue that, he realized, was his own seed.

"Was that okay?"

"I…yes. More than," Finn assured him. "I still do not think I could repay the favour, but…"

"You don't need to," Kurt's hand had found its way to Finn's wrist and he moved it down, Finn brushing Kurt's flushed cock with his fingertips. "If you could do this for me that would suffice."

"Gladly," Finn kissed him again, almost used to the taste of himself in Kurt's mouth, and started to stroke Kurt's arousal with remarkably sure fingers, feeling the heat and weight of Kurt's cock in his hand, and Kurt moaned softly and kissed his neck, licking the skin and letting out sharp little breaths as Finn moved his hand faster, rubbing his thumb over the head of the other man's cock before applying a bit of pressure and Kurt positively yelped and came without warning, head buried against Finn's neck as his hips pumped and warm fluid leaked over Finn's hand.

Kurt stopped moving after a few moments, body sweat-soaked and laying like a warm blanket over Finn, and Finn made sure his soiled hand stayed to the side as he stroked the other down Kurt's back, feeling the smaller man arch against the touch like a cat.

"We'd best get cleaned up," Kurt murmured after a short time, forcing himself upward and walking with shaky legs over to the bucket of water they'd drawn, and he soaked a cloth before coming back and washing both of them, Finn wincing from the chill of the rather icy water. "Sorry," Kurt apologized in a low voice, taking the cloth back before crawling on top of Finn once more and pulling the blankets to cover them.

"How long are we to be staying here again?" Finn asked, still trying to touch as much of Kurt's skin as he could, and Kurt laughed when Finn's hands skimmed down his sides teasingly.

"A few days, as I said earlier. Does that please you?" Kurt's eyes were bright in the weak firelight and Finn couldn't resist bending down to kiss him once more.

"It does. Immensely."

"Good," Kurt closed his eyes and shifted closer, flaccid cock pressed against Finn's belly and he couldn't find it in himself to even care about something that should still, by all rights, discomfit him. "Good," Kurt repeated, his voice barely audible, and his soft, even breaths a moment later told Finn he'd succumbed to slumber.

"Mm," Finn vaguely agreed, knowing only the air could hear him, and feel asleep mere moments later.

**Notes:**

**1. **Sorry it's been about a week since I updated! Between vacation and job hunting my life has been a little hectic, but I've found a temporary job so at least I'll be earning SOME money which will be nice for the summer :D

**2. **Pirate!Puck is incredibly hard to write, because I have a certain style for Puck and it just won't work for period!fic. I wanted he and Finn to talk, though, so I tried it anyway…

**3. **I think that's it. Thanks again for all the lovely reviews/comments everybody!


	13. Chapter 13

**Title:**Zephyr's Breath  
><strong>Author:<strong> AoiTsukikage  
><strong>Rating:<strong> R for now  
><strong>CharactersPairing:** Finn/Kurt, minor Blaine/Sam  
><strong>Chapter:<strong> 13/?  
><strong>Word Count:<strong> 2783  
><strong>Spoilers:<strong> Let's say everything to be safe :)  
><strong>SummaryWarnings:** Kurt Hummel is the captain of a feared pirate ship, the Zephyr's Breath, but everything changes when he finds a young man who is the sole survivor of a shipwreck.

**Disclaimer:** I, unfortunately, do not own these characters, no matter how sad that makes me. I do, however, promise to return them when I'm done with them. :)

**Zephyr's Breath**

**Chapter Thirteen**

Kurt opened his eyes slowly, warm and sated as he felt Finn's comforting weight at his back, and studied the small hut. The sun was shining in through the smoke vent and he marked the time to be somewhere around noon which was, on a normal basis, abysmally late but considering that they had nowhere important to go he was willing to let it be for the moment.

Finn made a small movement behind him, just enough to let Kurt know he was awake, and Kurt reached back to curl his fingers around Finn's hip and hold him in position.

"Stay."

"I just need to relieve myself," Finn promised, kissing the back of his neck, his warm breath ticklish against the fine hairs there. "I shall be back in a moment."

"Mm," Kurt realized how eloquent he was being but he dazedly watched Finn cross the hut and step behind the small screen of palm fronds for a little more privacy as he did his business, heading to the wash bucket to splash a bit of water over his face and neck before he shook his head like a hound and returned to the bed, the wet tips of his hair leaving tiny beads of moisture on Kurt's skin.

Finn dipped his head and licked over the drops, rough tongue making Kurt shiver as his hands slid around Kurt's body, moving lower as Kurt moaned.

"Is this okay?"

"Yes. Emphatically yes," Kurt breathed, his voice a sigh, and he blinked open his eyes a moment later. "But you're being awfully forward."

"I realized that I'm okay with…this much of it. I enjoy touching you," Finn sounded almost meek and Kurt had to laugh at that. "I don't think I'm ready for…to be…"

"Inside of me?" Kurt questioned, rocking back instinctively as Finn's rapidly hardening cock pressed against his backside.

"Yes. That," Finn sounded almost as breathless as Kurt, moving against him as his hands moved ever lower and gasped Kurt's swelling cock, fingers firm against his heated flesh as Kurt groaned rather wantonly, not really caring about the noises he was currently making.

"Mm."

"Is that good?"

"Yes," Kurt breathed out slowly, enjoying the lazy sensations.

He'd always imagined he could wake up like this with somebody and he truly, _truly _hoped that he could look forward to this every morning from now on.

Not necessarily the intimacy, of course, but the comfort of having somebody hold him; that was something he could so easily get used to.

"Ah, Finn," he breathed, soft and yet urgent at the same time, and Finn's hand increased its speed as he stroked Kurt from root to tip, thumb pressing gently against the head of the shorter man's cock as he'd done the night before and, Kurt thought, it was _completely _unfair that Finn had apparently discovered one of his weaknesses so quickly.

"I take it you like that?" Finn's voice was a low rumble in his ear and Kurt could feel his chest shake when he laughed he was pressed so close.

Kurt couldn't really form words to answer so he just moaned quietly, hips moving up into Finn's hand, and Finn kept lazily stroking him and kissing the back of his neck, rocking into him from behind and it was _perfect. _

But Finn, it seemed, had some rather noticeable issues when it came to holding out (Kurt had noticed it before and wondered what it would mean if they actually _did _engage in sodomy, but since Finn seemed a while away from being comfortable with that he supposed he wouldn't have to worry about it at the moment).

They kept up their slow pace, Kurt languidly moving between Finn's hand and his body like a boat in a gentle current, and he could feel himself hanging on the edge for a while until Finn gave a rather sharp twist of his wrist that had him reaching his completion, moaning softly as he did so and as Finn's hips against him started to thrust faster, Kurt pushing back in time with his movements until Finn's entire body shuddered and he climaxed with a low groan, Kurt feeling the hot fluid running between his thighs and it was so, _so _close to having Finn inside of him and yet incredibly far away.

Finn was panting against his neck, sharp puffs of breath he could feel on his skin, and he rubbed against the other man's softening cock for a few moments before stilling, knowing that he'd have to wash but really not wishing to break the moment.

"Oh," Finn breathed against his skin, sounding content, and Kurt stretched before deciding to move as he stepped out of the bed and went to the basin, washing himself off and running the cloth between his thighs before bringing it to the bed and throwing the blankets back, cleaning Finn off tenderly as the other man smiled at him, an undeniable warmth in his deep brown eyes. "Kurt…"

"Mm-hmm?" Kurt continued his task, cleaning up all of their shared fluids, and Finn didn't speak any more as he took his freshly-cleaned hand and pulled Kurt into a wet kiss, smiling against Kurt's mouth as the captain let himself relax into the touch. "You liked that?"

"Nice way to start the day," Finn replied with a shrug, seemingly comfortable in his own skin around Kurt as he made no move to cover himself again.

"I'm glad you agree. But since it's gone noon by now perhaps we should make our way into the world?" Kurt suggested, pressing another kiss to Finn's lips before moving back. "Shall we?"

"Of course," Finn gave him another lazy smile before getting out of the bed and stretching, heading to dress as Kurt pulled his own clothes on.

He was betting that, once they emerged, every single person on his crew would know what he was up to.

And if he was being honest with himself, he was completely okay with that.

000

"I still think it's a mistake for you to come."

"I wanted to see Beth," Finn replied, fiddling with his clothing. They'd managed to raid another merchant vessel en route to Port Royal and Kurt had decided it was high time he paid William a visit and found out what more he could about the _Raven's _doings in the last little while. Finn had wanted to come with and Kurt, despite knowing that the other man would more than likely have a large bounty on his head by now, was not willing to turn him down.

"Quinn's daughter?'

"Yes. I made my it my business to watch over her while Quinn couldn't be around and she…I think of her as my own," Finn admitted, looking at the ground, and Kurt subtly bumped his elbow.

"You're rather soft at heart, aren't you, Finnegan Hudson?" he asked quietly and Finn nodded in agreement as they headed for the Inn that William liked to frequent.

Kurt opened the door and spotted the man they were looking for at the counter, moving quickly through the half-full room but hanging back once he saw that the older man was deep in conversation with somebody.

At least, until that somebody raised his head and Kurt felt tears spring into his eyes unwittingly as he gazed at the newcomer. "Father?" he asked, his voice a hopeful whisper, but there was no mistaking the other man.

"Kurt?" his father blinked, looking shocked, and Kurt couldn't really blame him. It was probably rare for a pirate captain to stride through a Navy-controlled town in broad daylight, but Kurt was just as surprised to see his father in Port Royal. While his father did a good business repairing ships in a small village a few islands over and people were willing to make the journey from Port Royal to get quality repairs, his father _rarely _ventured into the town proper and Kurt hadn't seen him in, at this point, a few years.

He'd wanted to.

Of course he'd wanted to.

But the _last _thing he needed was for people to associate his name with his father's and cause his customers to seek business elsewhere because his son was a notorious pirate captain.

"Father!" Kurt couldn't hold back his tears as he threw his arms around the older man, feeling safe and protected in his embrace. It wasn't the same protection that he felt in Finn's arms, of course. It was just…familiar, and utterly comforting, and Kurt truly loved his father.

He truly did.

"Kurt," his father sounded rather close to tears himself which was a rarity because, in Kurt's experience, Burt Hummel almost _never _cried. "What are you doing here?"

"I could ask the same question of _you," _Kurt laughed. "But I'm starting to suspect we're both here for the same reason. Business has been slow, has it not?"

"That hell-ship is keeping the customers away," his father growled and Kurt couldn't help but laugh.

"Yes, the _Raven's _getting to be a major issue. Have you had any news of her, William?"

"Not much more than you know, I'm sure," Will came to hug him as well. "How have you been, Kurt? It's been a long while."

"We…ran into a spot of trouble with the Navy, as you know, and…"

"And I see Finnegan helped you out of that trouble," Will smiled at Finn, who returned it heartily. "I hope you know what a risk you took in bringing him back here, Kurt. As a wanted man…"

"Wait, wanted? It was mere days ago!" Finn protested, a bit of fear creeping into his eyes, and Kurt tried to do his best to reassure him.

"It isn't surprising. You're a new recruit, you were recognized by that officer, and then when the pirates escape you miraculously disappear? Anybody could put two and two together on that count, Finn," he was forced to point out. "Plus there's something utterly newsworthy about the son of possibly the most respected officer to ever sail the Spanish Main turning pirate," he had to grin at that and Finn shrugged in agreement.

"You have a point."

"You're Christopher Hudson's son?" his father asked and Kurt was betting Finn was rather weary of hearing those words.

"I am."

"I knew your father. Not well, but he always checked in with my shipbuilding company to make sure we weren't being bothered by pirates. Kurt met him a few times…"

"You failed to mention _this,"_ Finn turned to Kurt, looking surprised, and Kurt sighed and shook his head.

"I was extremely young and didn't know much about him other than that he stopped by every few months. He died when you were…how old?"

"It's hard to say," Finn scrubbed at his hair before lowering his hand. "We received the news when I was nearing my sixth birthday but with how long it takes messages to travel across the ocean it could been mere months or years, so I really could not give you an exact date," he reached absently to adjust his collar, the tiny pendant around his neck catching the light, and Kurt saw his father's eyes widen when he realized what it was.

His father knew about his…persuasions, of course, and he was accepting of it despite not being a pirate himself. He knew that Kurt could not change that part of himself and he loved him no less for it which Kurt was more than grateful for.

However, whether his father would _approve _of Finn was a different matter entirely.

"I don't think we've been properly introduced despite me knowing your name. I'm Burt Hummel, Kurt's father," his father stood and held out a hand, Finn taking it to return the clasp after a moment.

"Finnegan Hudson, but you knew that."

"I did. Has…Kurt explained to you the story behind the necklace you're wearing?" he asked slowly and Kurt watched Finn's eyes widen, obviously thinking up excuses as to why he had the necklace.

"It's okay, Finn," Kurt promised, locking eyes with the taller man. "You can tell him."

"Then yes, he has. I know what it represents," Finn nodded and Kurt's father looked relieved.

"Well, as I said, your father was an amazing man and if you are a quarter of the man he was I know you'll be perfect for my son," he nodded after a moment and Finn broke out into a rather happy smile.

"Thank you, Mr. Hummel. I promise that nothing will happen to Kurt so long as I have a say in it. I care for him deeply," Finn was rather obviously blushing but Kurt thought the words were incredibly sweet and well-intentioned and he was willing to bet his father was having similar thoughts.

"As I said, I believe you are trustworthy. You seem an honest man, Finnegan Hudson," his father pursed his lips and nodded after a moment and Finn looked to Kurt, eyes shining with happiness. "Your mother is still in England, I presume?"

"Ireland, actually," Finn replied.

"Has she ever considered making the trip across the sea?"

"Perhaps," Finn shrugged. "We really have no other family back home but, at the moment, I would not risk letting her come here, nor going there on a passenger ship. Not after…" he stopped, mouth snapping closed, and Kurt decided to take over.

"The passenger boat Finn took from England was attacked by the _Raven; _he was the sole survivor. That was actually how I met him; we discovered the wreckage and saved him," Kurt explained quietly. "And with the increased attacks on nearly every passenger ship sailing these waters, I wouldn't trust anybody to go on that voyage."

"What about the Navy? Can't they take on the _Raven?" _Kurt's father turned back to William, who sighed and took a drink of his ale. "It should be their responsibility!"

"It should be, but the fact is that any Navy ship with enough guns and men to feasibly attack the _Raven _is far too slow to ever catch her, so ambush is the only option and, as I'm sure Kurt can attest, pirate ships just don't _get _ambushed because they're always on the alert," he looked to Kurt, who looked sheepish for a moment.

"Well, to be fair, we _were _ambushed, but that was because we'd come through a storm and couldn't see what lay on the horizon. But that would take an incredible stroke of luck and the chances of it happening again are almost none," Kurt admitted.

"Kurt, he said trouble, not capture. What happened?" his father asked seriously, which was only to be expected, and Kurt decided telling his father he was mere hours away from a noose around his neck wasn't the best course of action.

"We were really in no danger, Father. Finn saved us," he smiled at the taller man for a second before continuing. "And Will is right. No ship can catch the _Raven _under full sail."

"No ship except the _Zephyr's Breath," _Will muttered and Kurt nodded. "I believe the Navy is rather hoping that you pirates will take care of yourselves by taking down each other, but…"

"We don't have the crew to face the _Raven. _We'd be killed in an instant," Kurt shrugged, because it was the truth. "If all of the pirate ships in the Caribbean banded together perhaps we could take her on but that would be impossible, and even between us and the _Sea Canary _we'd still be sorely outnumbered," he sighed and shook his head. "For now we just have to wait it out and hope an opportunity to confront them presents itself."

"Right," Will nodded. "Are the two of you staying in town for the night?"

"May as well," Kurt looked to Finn, who nodded. "Think it's possible to find us a room?"

"_One _room, Kurt?" his father looked rather disapproving and Kurt sighed and grasped the older man's shoulders.

"Father, I'm a grown man."

"I know, son. It's just…"

"I know," Kurt echoed his words and let himself be drawn into another embrace, inhaling his father's scent.

"Think you can join your old father for breakfast tomorrow? You and Finn?"

"I think that should be possible," Kurt nodded, taking a seat beside his father as Finn sat on the other side of him and William ordered another round of ales.

And, sitting between his father and his, well, he supposes he can call Finn his _lover _despite not yet officially joining with him yet, the world seemed pretty good.

He couldn't help feeling that it would all fall apart on the morrow, but he tried to ignore the warnings in his mind and just enjoyed the company.

**Notes: **

**1. **The beginning of this was NOT supposed to happen that way, but those boys can't keep their hands off of each other. Obviously xP

**2. **And I wanted to get Burt into the story somehow, so Burt's in the story. Yay!

**3. **That's about it! Thanks so much for the continued support on this fic, guys! You're awesome :D


	14. Chapter 14

**Title: **Zephyr's Breath  
><strong>Author:<strong> AoiTsukikage  
><strong>Rating:<strong> R for now  
><strong>CharactersPairing:** Finn/Kurt, minor Blaine/Sam  
><strong>Chapter:<strong> 14/?  
><strong>Word Count:<strong> 2888  
><strong>Spoilers:<strong> Let's say everything to be safe :)  
><strong>SummaryWarnings:** Kurt Hummel is the captain of a feared pirate ship, the Zephyr's Breath, but everything changes when he finds a young man who is the sole survivor of a shipwreck.

**Disclaimer:** I, unfortunately, do not own these characters, no matter how sad that makes me. I do, however, promise to return them when I'm done with them. :)

**Zephyr's Breath**

**Chapter Fourteen**

The night, surprisingly, was spent in slumber. Both of them were weary from rowing into Port Royal and Kurt was emotionally weary from seeing his father for the first time in many years, so once they rolled into bed Finn merely wrapped him up in his long arms and they fell asleep, curled around each other like tendrils of seaweed, inseparable throughout the night as the stars rose and faded.

He woke up to the sounds of a busy port city; seagulls squeaking and carts rattling down the street, ship's bells ringing and the distant crash of waves against the shore.

"Morning," Finn said, eyes still at half-mast, and Kurt couldn't resist leaning up to give him a short kiss. "Mm. We need to be getting back, don't we?"

"I think I can spare a few hours if you'd like to visit Beth. I would…dearly love to spend some more time with my father," he admitted, knowing that he really _couldn't _know when he would next see the older man.

"Thank you," Finn kissed him again before getting out of the bed and going to the window, looking out over the town as Kurt admired his nude body in the morning light. "I should get dressed and head out, then. When should we meet at the dock?"

"Noon or a little after," Kurt decided after joining Finn at the window and examining the position of the sun. "Is that enough time for you?"

"It should be," Finn drew Kurt into a firm hug before moving to get dressed and Kurt watched him go with a smile.

They'd opted for dinner with his father last night as opposed to breakfast because Kurt had wanted to leave with the tide, and it had gone well. He could tell that the older man approved of Finn, which was good.

And Finn had seemed to get along well with his father, so all in all he considered the dinner a success.

Finn came back over once he'd dressed, drawing Kurt into a slow kiss and stroking his cheek with the pad of his thumb before withdrawing and leaving the room.

Kurt watched him go, a slight shiver passing through his body although the breeze entering the room through the open window was warm.

He didn't quite know what that meant.

But he truly hoped it was nothing.

000

When it was nearing half- noon he was starting to fear the worst, which was probably unwarranted on his part.

Finn lost track of time, that was all…

He looked up when he heard a shout come from closer to the center of town, prepared to fight his way out if it came to that, but a second later he saw a figure running toward the dock that could have only been Finn and he quickly hopped into the boat they'd taken into the harbour and prepared to cast off, letting go of the rope once Finn had scrambled in and grabbed the oars, rowing with a strength obviously fuelled by the fear of getting caught as they almost flew out of the harbour, rounding the first point before Finn stopped, the oars falling from his suddenly-slack hands as he curled over, clutching his side and whimpering.

"Finn?" Kurt asked haltingly, reaching out to brush the other man's forehead and pulling his hand away when his fingertips encountered heated skin. "You're burning up! What happened?"

"I…" Finn coughed, shivering, and shoved the bag he was holding at Kurt. "In there. Careful."

Kurt opened the bag and looked inside, seeing a rather wicked looking arrow sitting at the bottom. The arrow's shaft was ringed with circles of yellow and blue, and the colors spoke to him although he could not say why. "This…"

"The…girl I was courting. Her…family obviously decided…that the reward money was the…best revenge for me…leaving," Finn couldn't seem to speak without gasping, his tremors getting worse. "I…they ambushed me…the arrow merely grazed my side, but…poisoned," he grabbed at his shirt again, moaning softly, and Kurt felt a stab of fear go through his heart.

"Come on. We need to get you back to the _Zephyr _and hopefully Santana will have some knowledge of this," Kurt took the oars and began to row, grateful that the _Zephyr _was close.

Finn looked horrible by the time they'd arrived, eyes half-open and face a rather startling shade of white.

"Santana! We need you!" he yelled, climbing onto the deck as Puck hopped down to assist Finn in getting up the ladder. The dark-haired girl rushed over a second later and Kurt handed her the bag.

She took one look in it and closed her eyes, breathing out slowly through her nose.

"Manchineel," she said the word almost like an oath, tossing the bag away. "I'd recognize the milky color of it anywhere. This is bad, Kurt."

"Is there an antidote?" Kurt asked haltingly, not wanting to look too worried although inside his stomach was tying itself in knots.

"Yes, but we'll need to go back to The Island to get it. I should have restocked but I didn't anticipate running into this in Port Royal, of all places…"

"Can we make it?"

"Perhaps. Did the arrow go through?"

"Just grazed his side, I think."

"Then we have a chance. The first thing we need to do is clean the area with water. Manchineel poison is painful above everything else; the skin will start to blister and burn within minutes and Finn's probably in extreme pain right now. Once the poison gets inside of him it could burn his insides; he'll have trouble breathing and eventually die, but hopefully if we can get back to The Island within a couple of days he'll be just fine," she said, her voice and face grim, and Kurt could feel himself losing hope with every word.

He couldn't lose Finn yet.

He just _couldn't. _

"Here," Puck gently lay the taller man on the deck, Finn moaning in pain.

"Finn," Santana knelt down next to him and gripped his hand. "Focus on me, Finnegan. Now, where were you hit?"

Finn gestured to his side and Kurt could see a slash of red staining his shirt.

"Okay. Kurt, can you undo his shirt? Puck, grab me a bucket of clean water," she ordered and Puck muttered something about 'being ordered around' before he stomped away.

Kurt reached out and carefully unbuttoned Finn's shirt, peeling it away from the shallow cut, and the skin around was already starting to blister and peel like he'd been burned by heated iron as opposed to a tiny arrowhead.

Puck came back with the water and left the bucket beside Kurt, grimacing as he looked at the injury, and he passed his bandana over to Kurt who dipped it in the water before laying it over the area and trying not to listen to Finn's whine of pain at the action.

"I know it hurts, love, but I have to do it," he muttered, cleaning the wound as thoroughly as he could (and it really _was _nothing more than a scratch, but it was obvious Finn was in incredible pain). He didn't think twice about calling Finn 'love,' not in this position, at least.

He may not love the man yet, but his early infatuation had changed into something deeper even if he could not yet put a name to it.

"Good," Santana said after he'd dropped the cloth back into the bucket, looking at the scratch closely. "That should stop the skin from getting any worse, but we can't do much for what's inside of him until we find some Arrowroot."

"Right. We should be off, then," Kurt stood, noting that almost the entire crew was out on deck now and looking at him apprehensively, so he gave the order to make sail and they scattered.

"They're afraid," Santana sighed.

"Afraid?"

"Of how you'll react if he…if he does not make it," she said, looking at him with sympathy. "But Finn's strong and has the advantage of having a _lot _of body for the poison to work through so that may buy us some time."

"I can only hope it does," Kurt gently brushed Finn's hair back from his forehead, noting that the other man's eyes were glassy and it was as if he had no clear idea of what was happening anymore. "Hold on for me, Finnegan," he pleaded softly, laying his palm flat on the other man's chest and hearing the slower but still regular rhythm of his heart.

"I will warn you, Kurt, that although the poison cannot be spread without direct contact with the wound, I know not how it will spread through bodily fluids, so until it is out of him completely…"

"No kissing," Kurt nodded. "I understand. It's for the best."

"Right," she agreed with a nod as the ship began to move, and she stood up and looked at Kurt before laying a hand on his shoulder, a rare showing of sympathy from her. "His fever will be fierce until we can find the Arrowroot, but I trust you will take care of him."

"I shall do what I can," Kurt promised, noting that Finn was staring at him vacantly again, normally warm eyes far too dead for Kurt's liking. "Finn?"

"Hurts," Finn said pitifully, blinking and trying his best to focus on Kurt. "Can't…"

"Shh," Kurt went back to stroking his hair, trying to ignore how warm his forehead was. "You'll be okay. I…" he blinked before standing, trying not to notice how hurt Finn looked that he was leaving but he couldn't stand to be around the other man at the moment.

He went to get Puck and Mike in order to move Finn into his cabin and stood by the rail, turning the poisoned arrow over and over in his hands and staring at it in silence.

"Kurt?"

"Quinn," Kurt half-turned, still idly spinning the arrow as Quinn examined it. "You recognize the colors?"

"I do, and it's hardly surprising. Finn _would_ pick the most influential family in Port Royal next to my own to try and marry into, wouldn't he?" she sighed and ran her finger down the arrow's shaft. "I doubt we'll have much to worry about anymore but I can imagine how they felt about their daughter's potential husband rushing off to turn pirate, especially with his father being who he was."

"I think Finn's grown rather weary of everybody mentioning his father," Kurt smiled a little. "Not that I blame him, seeing as how he never met the man, but all the same…"

"Yes, I can imagine," Quinn nodded, still looking at the arrow. "Are you keeping that?"

"Until we find the antidote," Kurt decided, placing it back in the bag. "I'll put it in a safe place so nobody accidentally touches it."

"What are his chances?" the blonde girl asked quietly, eyes full of compassion, and Kurt sighed and shook his head.

"Provided we reach The Island tomorrow, Santana seems positive. I can only hope and, although I haven't done so in several years, pray that God sees fit to save an honourable man from a horribly painful death," he sighed once more and looked up at the cloudless sky, hoping that things stayed as they were.

"I'm sure he will. It isn't Finn's time yet, I'm sure of it," Quinn herself _was _fairly religious, all things considered, so Kurt felt more at ease knowing that she was praying for Finn to make a full recovery as well.

"I suppose I should go check on him," Kurt decided after a few moments, stopping to give Quinn a kiss on the cheek before heading into his cabin.

000

Kurt wiped Finn's forehead gently, hearing the other man moan in the throes of his fever. It was the middle of the night by his reckoning and he'd yet to catch even a wink of sleep; he was too afraid of leaving Finn unattended for even a moment.

The cabin door opening caused him to turn and he smiled at Blaine as the shorter man entered, standing beside Kurt and staring down at Finn with obvious sympathy in his dark eyes.

"You need to rest, Captain," he said softly, resting a hand on Kurt's shoulder, and Kurt stubbornly shook his head although his eyes were barely staying open.

"I cannot. It is impossible to leave him," he said stubbornly, dipping the cloth in the bucket once more and wetting it again.

"And if you become ill yourself you'll be of no use to us. We've spoken of this before, remember?" Blaine gently took his wrist and squeezed until he dropped the cloth back in the water, yawning despite himself. "I can assure you that, until morning, he will be as safe as can be under my care. Go to my cabin and get some rest."

"Blaine…"

"Go," Blaine urged him, helping him to his feet and pushing himself up enough to give Kurt a kiss on the forehead, barely wincing when Kurt threw his arms around him and clung to him fiercely.

"I'm worried. No, more than that, I'm terrified. And I don't know…"

"You have to trust that he's strong enough to beat this," Blaine murmured into his ear, his voice soothing as he stroked his hands down Kurt's back. "The wind is with us and the skies are clear. We'll make it."

"Yes," Kurt finally sighed, the other man's words giving him renewed confidence. "Yes, we shall."

"Good. Now, go to sleep," Blaine pushed him toward the door and Kurt went, not looking back as he stumbled onto the deck and made his way to Blaine's cabin, waving to Sam on the night watch.

He stripped off his shirt and breeches and covered himself, sighing as the weariness of the day finally caught up to him and he fell into slumber almost immediately.

000

Kurt pushed open the door to his cabin the next morning, feeling more like himself, and noted that now Blaine was the one who looked about ready to fall asleep on his feet.

"I think it's time I return the favour," Kurt said, running his hand lightly through Blaine's hair as the other man looked at him. "Take your rest, Blaine."

"Morning," Finn said quietly and Kurt looked at him in shock.

"You…"

"His fever broke in the night," Blaine murmured, looking up at Kurt with half-lidded eyes. "It's rather good and bad at the same time, I fear."

"Oh," Kurt breathed, remembering Santana's words about what the poison would do to Finn. "How are you feeling?"

"Not bad at the moment," Finn wrinkled his nose and sighed. "Santana was in here earlier…told me what to expect, although right now my stomach's only burning about as much as when I accidentally ate some of the local food when I first got here. Nobody had told me how much spice they like to use," he laughed a little, good-natured to the end, but Kurt could see the faint sheen of sweat on his forehead that told him the other man was in far greater pain than he was admitting.

"We'll reach The Island by noon and then we can work on getting you healed," Kurt promised, laying his hand on Finn's shoulder before leaning to kiss his brow. "And I fear I can't do much more…"

"I understand. It's perfectly fine," Finn weakly raised his hand and Kurt took it immediately, lacing their fingers together and trying not to worry about how cold and clammy Finn's skin was. A small sound interrupted his thoughts and he turned to see Blaine snoring quietly, head hanging down, and lightly touched his shoulder.

"Blaine."

"Hmm?" Blaine blinked at him before sighing. "Right. Sleep," he staggered to his feet and shuffled out of the cabin as Kurt took his seat, never letting go of Finn's hand.

When Blaine had left Finn let out a gusty sigh, closing his eyes and slumping against the bed. "Kurt…"

"It hurts worse than you're admitting, doesn't it?" Kurt looked at him with sympathy as Finn nodded and coughed weakly. "It'll be okay, Finn. You'll be okay. We're almost there."

"Wish I was still delirious," Finn's head lolled to the side and he stared at Kurt. "Wouldn't feel this."

"Hang on for me," Kurt didn't want to sound like he was begging but he was afraid his voice was far too close to that. "Just...we're almost there. You'll be okay…"

"_Kurt," _Finn groaned, one hand gripping his tightly and the other clenching at the covers, his breath coming quicker.

"I know, love. I know," Kurt tried to soothe him, willing his precious ship to go faster than she'd ever gone.

"Sorry, I…"

"You're not leaving me," Kurt said stubbornly, holding Finn's hand up to his face and sighing when the other man cupped his cheek, staring straight into his eyes. "I'm not letting you go when I haven't had you properly yet."

That earned him a tiny smile from the taller man but he still looked far too haunted, eyes closing in pain every few seconds.

"Come on, darling, come on," he spoke to his ship, leaning to place one hand on the planks of the floor and urging her on.

They'd make it.

They had to.

**Notes:**

**1. **Sorry for the wait on the update! I've been…distracted by tumblr, I think. Also, this story is hard for me to write not in that the idea don't come but in that I have to majorly edit myself and look up certain words to find out if they would have been used at the time. I'm sure I'm not entirely historically correct, but I try!

**2. **The Manchineel tree sounds nasty. You can read about it here: http:/en(.)wikipedia(.)org/wiki/Manchineel I mean, this thing is so poisonous that if you stand under it while it's raining and rain that touches the tree touches YOU it'll burn your skin. Yikes.

**3. **Um, that's about it. Sorry for the partial-cliffhanger, but I wanted the next part of the fic to be in the next chapter. But you all know I love Finn, so…


	15. Chapter 15

**Title: **Zephyr's Breath  
><strong>Author:<strong> AoiTsukikage  
><strong>Rating:<strong> R for now  
><strong>CharactersPairing:** Finn/Kurt, minor Blaine/Sam  
><strong>Chapter:<strong> 15/?  
><strong>Word Count:<strong> 2701  
><strong>Spoilers:<strong> Let's say everything to be safe :)  
><strong>SummaryWarnings:** Kurt Hummel is the captain of a feared pirate ship, the Zephyr's Breath, but everything changes when he finds a young man who is the sole survivor of a shipwreck.

**Disclaimer:** I, unfortunately, do not own these characters, no matter how sad that makes me. I do, however, promise to return them when I'm done with them. :)

**Zephyr's Breath**

**Chapter Fifteen**

The Island came into sight with about an hour left 'til noon and Kurt couldn't have been more relieved. Finn had been lucid all morning, thankfully, but the pain in his stomach was getting worse and his breathing was growing more and more laboured with each minute that passed.

Kurt stayed by his side the whole time, watching his eyes get dimmer as the pain increased, and he urged Finn to stay awake although it was obviously hurting the other man to do so.

"Kurt, I can't…"

"Shh, we're so close, love. So close," Kurt stroked his hair back, gentle fingers fluttering against a forehead that was clammy and wet with pain as opposed to fever, and Finn moaned wretchedly and writhed under the thin blankets, eyes squeezed shut as he rode out a fresh wave of pain. "Finnegan, please…"

"Kurt, we're here," Mercedes poked her head in and Kurt gave her a smile. "Santana says you can come along if you choose, but…"

"I'll go. Watch over him?"

"Of course," she nodded and gave him a hug before he left the cabin, meeting up with Santana as they prepared to go ashore.

000

"What are we looking for again?" Sam asked, hacking through some vines with a machete as they make their way further inland.

"Arrowroot. Here," she passed him a drawing. "I described it to Artie and he drew that for me. It looks almost exactly like the plant."

"Low-lying, I assume?" Kurt was scanning the ground, not looking up so he ended up bumping right into Brittany.

"Squawk! Watch yer feet! Watch yer feet!"

"Thank you, Lord Tubbington, I'll make sure to do that," Kurt said wryly and Brittany turned to him with a vacant gaze before skipping ahead and taking Santana's hand, swinging their arms as they continued through the trees.

Truth be told, Kurt had no idea why Brittany was along besides Santana's fondness for the girl, but he wasn't going to say anything.

"A couple of feet at most," Santana called back. "White flowers, black fruit. It should be easy to spot and there should be a lot of it around here," she added and kept walking, hand gripping Brittany's tightly as they made their way.

Kurt sighed again, knowing that his worry was making him irritable, and his eyes landed on a dark green-and-white plant a little off the main trail. "Santana!"

"Yes?" she turned, following his gaze, and suddenly her face lit up. "That's it! Wonderful! Finn should be just fine if we get this to him," she took quite a bit of the plant ("it never hurts to have it on-hand, just in case") and they quickly made their way back to the village, finding that they'd moved Finn into Kurt's hut and they entered to find him looking even worse though they'd barely been gone a half-hour.

"Oh, Finn," Kurt sighed as Santana disappeared, off to her own hut to make the proper poultice.

"He's not good, Kurt," Mercedes told him as he approached and he nodded.

"I can see that. Finn?" he asked quietly and Finn opened his eyes, looking at him without recognition. "Finn, it's me."

"Kurt?"

"Yes, love," Kurt found that the term was becoming more and more natural to use with Finn, and the other man didn't seem to dislike it.

Or else he was just in too much pain to notice. "You…"

"We've found the cure," Kurt promised him. "Santana's preparing it right now; just hold on a little longer for me."

Finn hesitated for a moment, closing his eyes and trying to slow his breath, before he opened them again and Kurt saw a new resolve to live there. "Okay."

"Good," Kurt bent to kiss his forehead, moving aside when Santana came in with a wooden bowl containing a poultice of the arrowroot.

"Kurt, can you unbutton his shirt for me? This draws the poison out of the wound so we'll have to apply it directly to the mark the arrow left."

Kurt obliged, unbuttoning Finn's shirt and moving the fabric aside so Santana could see the wound, and she applied the poultice and wrapped some bandages around Finn's body to hold it in place.

"And now?" Kurt asked hesitantly.

"And now we let it do its job," she replied. "It sounds a little hard to believe, I know, but something about the Arrowroot draws the poison right out. As long as we've caught it quickly enough it should clear his body by nightfall and he'll be just fine."

"We can only hope," Kurt brushed Finn's hair back again, noting the other man already looked less in pain, and smiled at him. "You're going to be just fine, Finn."

Finn smiled at him and closed his eyes, Kurt looking to Santana with concern.

"He should be okay to sleep now. Let him rest while the Arrowroot works," she nodded and he hugged her tightly, smiling as she protested and tried to shove him away.

"Thank you."

"Any fool could see you're in love with him, Kurt. I couldn't do nothing," she shrugged and left, leaving Kurt to wonder at her last words.

He didn't think he was 'in love' with Finn yet.

But perhaps he was closer than he'd first thought.

000

Finn came awake slowly, like a peaceful morning would sneak up on one after a full night's rest, and his eyes remained closed as he tried to figure out what was happening.

He could hear rushing water, a stream or a waterfall, perhaps, and the pain in his stomach and chest was significantly lessened to the point where, if he did not consciously search for it, it may as well have not been there at all.

He finally opened his eyes, seeing a clear, starlit sky over his head, and sighed.

"You're awake."

"Sam," Finn smiled at the golden-haired man, who swiped said hair out of his eyes and smiled widely at him in return. "Where are we?"

"It is a place about ten minutes' walk from the village. We come here fairly often when we stay and there really isn't a nicer spot I've seen anywhere," he stands up, Finn noting that he's not wearing any clothing.

"You…"

"It's just the men," Sam promised him. "The women have another place similar to this a little ways away, so we have no need to fear them intruding. I apologize if it makes you uncomfortable…"

"No, it's fine. I'm still not…used to such informality, that's all," Finn shook his head and Sam nodded.

"How do you feel?"

"Like a new man," Finn assured him, pushing himself into a sitting position and gazing up at the tall waterfall. He could see most of the crew swimming in the clear pool the rushing water fell into and an immense sense of calm washed over him.

"Kurt will be glad to hear that, I'm sure. Should I get him for you? It's probably best if you don't move yet," the other man added and Finn could only nod.

"Yes, then."

"I'll be back shortly," Sam laid a comforting hand on his shoulder before walking away, heading closer to the pool where Finn could see a figure perched on a rock near the water.

Kurt stood up, as usual not baring any more skin than necessary, and loped easily over to where Finn was laying.

"Finn," he knelt down, reaching out to trace Finn's cheek with his fingertip, and Finn sighed at the feather-light touch and turned toward his…he supposed he could call Kurt his 'lover' even though they had not yet consummated their relationship, but with what they'd done… "How are you?"

"Better. It barely hurts," he tried, successfully, to sit up and smiled when it caused no pain at all. "This plant of Santana's is quite the thing."

"And thank goodness it is," Kurt had moved on to stroking his hair, a fond smile on his face as he bent to lay a kiss on Finn's brow.

Finn pulled him closer, a little taken aback when Kurt pushed against his chest to get him to halt. "Kurt?"

"Santana said that the poison may still be working its way out of your body, so it's best for us to…hold off on the kissing until at least tomorrow. I still want you…more than ever…but I would not want to go through what you did," he smiled sadly and Finn saw how much his illness had affected the other man.

It probably wasn't the best idea for somebody like Kurt to be so dependent on somebody like him, but he couldn't say the knowledge wasn't flattering. "Oh. Good."

"Yes," Kurt sighed and moved behind Finn, urging him to lay so that his head was resting in the other man's lap. "I'm…really, ridiculously glad you're alive."

"I can't say I'm entirely unhappy about that fact, either," Finn replied with a soft laugh, staring up at the captain. He turned his body slightly so he could see the pool, watching the other members of the crew.

Artie was seated on a large rock in the middle of the water with Jesse, sketching something out as the older man pointed at the page occasionally. Mike and Puck were involved in some game that mostly included splashing water at each other, and one wild splash went right over the rock Artie was on, completely soaking his parchment and resulting in a good-natured argument from all sides.

And Sam and Blaine…Finn felt a small smile tug at his lips as he looked at them, wondering slightly that only a couple of years ago the sight had caused him so much grief and now he just…failed to see anything amiss with it.

They loved each other.

That was enough.

And they were currently standing about waist-deep in the water, arms wrapped around each other and kissing softly, until Blaine took the other man's hand and tugged him along, the two of them somehow going _behind _the waterfall and Finn's eyes grew wider.

"There's a cave back there," Kurt told him, following his gaze. "It's rather private and…I'm sure you can guess what they would need the privacy for."

"…Oh," Finn replied, because yes, his mind was currently supplying him with a _very clear idea _of what they could possibly be doing that would mean privacy would be required.

"Are you…okay with that?"

"Mostly. I think I'm becoming more okay with it each day," Finn admitted, looking back up at Kurt. "And really, it would be more than foolish to engage in the same activities myself and yet fault others for doing them."

"Not quite the same," Kurt's mouth was twisted wryly and Finn reached a hand up to swipe the other man's cheek, the playful gesture earning him a smile from Kurt. "But I realize it's a big step."

"I'll be ready one day," Finn promised, because he knew it to be true. One day he _would _be ready to share that intimacy with Kurt, and it may not be yet, but it was coming.

He knew it was coming.

000

Santana had looked him over when everyone had returned to the village and seemed satisfied that he was well on his way to a full recovery, so she gave permission to Kurt to sleep in the same bed as him with a stern glare that implied that sleeping was all they had better be doing.

Truth be told, Finn was rather tired although he'd slept for most of the day, and sleeping sounded just fine to him. He curled around Kurt's smaller body, both of them stripped down to just their breeches, and held him tightly as Kurt lightly ran his fingers over Finn's hands and eventually just clasped them in his own.

"I almost lost you," he said after a time, voice a little low and choked, and Finn could only hold him tighter.

"You didn't, Kurt. I'm okay."

"It was close. Too close," Kurt sighed and shifted back again, further into Finn's arms. "Do you think they'll come after you again?"

"I somehow doubt it," Finn replied after a moment of seriously thinking about it. "And I say that only because we have to assume that _they _will have assumed that arrow killed me. The chances of me finding somebody who not only knew the cure but where to procure it would have been slim, especially since to them we left Port Royal in a rowboat."

"True," Kurt conceded. "Okay, so they probably aren't much of a threat unless they discover that you're still among the living," he decided, turning around so he was facing Finn and reaching to thread his hands through the other man's hair. "I really want to kiss you."

"I know," Finn promised. "I feel the same, but I won't stand for you having to go through what I did. I think…I think I was ready to die for a few moments this morning. I just couldn't…"

"I could see it. Your eyes," Kurt explained. "They just…had no light in them. It was like you were already dead," his voice dropped even more, low and rough, words cracking a little as he blinked. "I couldn't let you go. Not like that."

"You helped," Finn said, staring straight into Kurt's bright eyes. "Just…knowing you were there; knowing you wanted me to beat this. You have no idea how much it helped."

"I'm glad, then," Kurt just kept staring at him, like if he were to look away Finn would vanish, and eventually he took a deep breath, stroked Finn's shoulder lightly, and said: "I love you."

"Kurt…" Finn sighed, because this wasn't a surprise, but to hear it said when he could not yet return the sentiment left a bitter taste in his mouth.

"You need not say anything," Kurt placed a finger over his lips. "I merely wished you to know it."

"I know it," Finn promised, sucking Kurt's finger into his mouth and swirling his tongue around it as Kurt gasped and let out a little breathy moan.

"Finn, stop," he said, eyelids fluttering, and Finn did after a moment. "I promise that tomorrow night, if Santana allows it, we can…resume our activities, but perhaps it would be best if we were to just sleep as she said."

"Of course," Finn smiled at the look on Kurt's face, knowing the other man _wanted _to do more but he was showing incredible restraint for both their sakes. "Tomorrow, then."

"Tomorrow."

000

Kurt woke up with his face pushed into Finn's shoulder, smelling him all around and feeling his long body pressed against Kurt's own under the blankets. He thanked his lucky stars once more that Santana was able to quickly find the Arrowroot and Finn able to hold off the poison coursing through him.

He knew it was dangerous to both himself and his crew to take a detour such as this merely to save a life, but he'd always been a bit of an oddball as a pirate captain: most of them saw crew members as expendable bodies.

Kurt's crew was his family, now more than ever, and he'd throw all caution to the winds to save any one of them.

"Morning," Finn said, looking at him and smiling.

"Good morning," Kurt replied.

Finn's response to that was to kiss him, slow and deep, and Kurt sighed and clutched at him as he returned the kiss eagerly. It had only been a two days since he'd last kissed Finn but, at this point, even _that_ was far too long.

"Mm," he broke away, not far, and Finn smiled brightly at him. "Somebody's fully recovered."

"Better than ever," Finn nodded, one hand pressed into the small of Kurt's back as he pulled him even closer. "So, what are we doing about the _Raven?" _

"I think it's time somebody took that bird down," Kurt smiled. "I don't know how, and I don't know how long it will take to assemble a fleet large enough to take her on, but her reign of terror needs to come to an end."

"Agreed," Finn kissed him again as if to show his full support. "What's our first move?"

"First…we find the _Canary." _

**Notes:**

**1. **I am SO SORRY for the insane wait on this chapter. I (foolishly) decided to do a prompt-fest thing on tumblr and said I would take four prompts. Me being me, I ended up taking eleven, and while it was so much fun it also kind of pushed back my other stories while I tried to complete them. Sorry again!

**2. **In other news, this fic is moving along and I've got ideas on where to go from here, so hopefully the next chapter won't take so long!


	16. Chapter 16

**Title: **Zephyr's Breath  
><strong>Author:<strong> AoiTsukikage  
><strong>Rating:<strong> R for now  
><strong>CharactersPairing:** Finn/Kurt, minor Blaine/Sam  
><strong>Chapter:<strong> 16/?  
><strong>Word Count:<strong> 2645  
><strong>Spoilers:<strong> Let's say everything to be safe :)  
><strong>SummaryWarnings:** Kurt Hummel is the captain of a feared pirate ship, the Zephyr's Breath, but everything changes when he finds a young man who is the sole survivor of a shipwreck.

**Disclaimer:** I, unfortunately, do not own these characters, no matter how sad that makes me. I do, however, promise to return them when I'm done with them. :)

**Zephyr's Breath**

**Chapter Sixteen**

"Tortuga?" Finn asked as the port city showed up, and Kurt turned to him with a rather knowing smile before facing the ocean once more.

"Tortuga," he confirmed. "We need to find out where Wes is, and chances are somebody here will have heard of his whereabouts. Besides, I'm not chancing going back to Port Royal anytime soon."

"Probably a good idea," Finn grimaced, feeling practically like he'd never been poisoned but, truthfully, it wasn't an experience that he wanted to repeat. "You do know I'm coming ashore with you?"

"I'd suspected. And I'll allow it," Kurt added, giving Finn a rather fond smile when the other man wrapped an arm about his waist and tugged him closer. "But follow my lead and don't try to strike out on your own. We all know what happened the _last _time you were left to your own devices in Tortuga."

"Must you bring that up?" Finn groaned.

"Of course," Kurt pulled away from his embrace before hopping onto the rail again in his normal spot, and even though Finn knew he did it every day he still feared for the other man's safety when he was hanging above the ocean like that. "But come; we shall be putting into port momentarily."

"Right," Finn nodded, following Kurt over to the rowboat, and they made quick work getting to shore as Kurt led them through the filthy streets and to the same Inn they'd stayed at on their last visit.

Kurt opened the door, staring around the dusty room before his eyes lit up and he headed toward a table where a rather strangely-dressed man was sitting. He was balding and had spectacles perched on his nose, a rarity for a pirate, to be sure, and he was scribbling something on a sheet of parchment. Kurt stopped just short of addressing the man, turning to Finn.

"Finn, this man is an ally of ours, albeit a rather odd one. He can be…off-putting and inappropriate at times, so if he makes any references as to how young or handsome you are please pay him no mind. He's harmless, but he can certainly give off an impression that would imply otherwise," Kurt warned him quickly and Finn could only nod, wondering what _exactly _he had to watch out for this stranger.

"Mr. Ryerson?" Kurt said, not too loudly, and the man turned before breaking into a smile.

"Captain Kurt Hummel, of all people! You're looking well! Finally found yourself a man, did you?" he laughed and Kurt gave him a thin-lipped smile in return. "And who _is_ this strapping young lad? Is he the one? He's lovely, you picked good."

"This is Finnegan Hudson," Kurt said simply, not rising to the other man's teasing tone.

"Hudson, hmm? C…"

"Yes, _that _Hudson. I daresay he's heard it enough," Kurt was being rather abrupt and Finn decided that it was needed in order to find out what he wanted to know from that man.

"Distinguished _and _dashing. A real catch, Captain," the man was sill leering at Finn, looking at him as if he were an interesting and rare insect, and Finn felt more than uncomfortable under the intense scrutiny.

"Indeed. But I'm not here to banter; I have need of your knowledge of the local area," Kurt pulled up a chair and sat, staring at Ryerson as he nodded.

"It's serious, is it? Alright, then, Captain; what do you require?"

"The location of the _Sea Canary_," Kurt replied simply. "We merely surmised that if anybody would know, it would be you."

"And you would of course be correct. Wes was in here less than a week ago, although as to what he was doing I have no inkling, but my ears are _always _open and from what I hear he's taking the long way around to Port Royal, scouting out the open ocean to see if they can find the _Raven. _She's causing a lot of trouble these days."

"You don't have to tell me," Kurt assured him. "But that's reassuring news; it means that if we take the direct route toward Port Royal chances are we'll intercept them."

"What are you planning, Kurt?" the man asked, using only Kurt's name for the first time, and Kurt raised his head, jutted his chin out, and said:

"It's time to take the _Raven _down."

"Admirable," the man nodded. "I have no love for the _Raven, _as you know, but surely you realize it's a fool's errand?"

"Then I'm a fool," Kurt replied with a slight eyebrow raise and a quirk of his lips. "But her reign of terror must end."

"You won't hear any argument from me on that one," Mr. Ryerson said with a nod. "Well, I'll wish you good luck. And if you should ever tire of your little toy here…"

"He's not for anybody else," Kurt snapped and Finn would normally have been a little offended at Kurt claiming him like a prize, but if it got him away from Mr. Ryerson he'd gladly call himself that.

"More's the pity. Good luck, Captain Hummel."

"Thank you for the information," Kurt nodded before standing. "Let's be off, Finn."

000

"Well, you were definitely correct about him being off-putting," Finn noted as they left the Inn and Kurt could only nod, scanning the streets as they made their way back to the ship.

"Mm, you get used to him after a while," Kurt veered down an alley, obviously taking a shortcut, and Finn followed him obediently as they headed back from the harbour. Kurt slowed down about halfway through the narrow passage, turning on his heel, and Finn looked behind to see they'd been followed by about three rather scruffy, unkempt men who had drawn their swords.

Kurt swore under his breath and turned to walk faster, the other end of the alley in sight before it too was filled with a few bodies, the men boxing them in as Kurt moved back.

"Kurt?"

"We'll be fine," Kurt said confidently, drawing his own swords and spinning them slowly. "What can we do for you, gentlemen? We're naught but simple pirates."

"Pirates always 'ave treasure. Ain't that right, lads?" the largest man called, his mates laughing as he did so.

"They're strong but they're ignorant," Kurt told him in an undertone, his swords moving faster in his hands. "We're not inclined to give out what we've fairly earned to louts like you," he said, loud enough that the men could hear, and they started laughing again.

"Oh-ho, he's a feisty little one, isn't he? Who's the lout? Your hired muscle?"

And Finn bristled somewhat at being called a 'lout' although he supposed it might look like that.

He _was _significantly larger than Kurt, all things considered.

"Wait," one of the men in the back pushed forward, a leer on his face exposing his crooked and rotting teeth. "Remember this one, boys? It's been a few years, but 'e's as pretty as ever, ain't 'e?"

"Aye, I remember alright," another man grinned, cracking his knuckles. "Almost 'ad him, didn't we? Well, always a second time…"

Finn wondered vaguely what they were talking about until he noticed Kurt, who'd stopped moving his swords. They were hanging limp in his hands, his breathing harsh and his eyes wide and frightened, and suddenly it all made sense.

These men, or at least some of them, were the ones who'd caught Kurt in that alley and nearly raped him, and Finn could understand why Kurt was terrified.

But this was his chance to prove he deserved his place on the _Zephyr's _crew, and he wasn't going to let it pass him by. He drew his own sword, knowing he could take at least a couple of the men and then, hopefully, Kurt would break free from the terror that had gripped him and would be able to assist him.

It was worth a try.

He wasn't letting these men hurt Kurt ever again.

"We don't have time for your games," he said loudly, rather proud that his voice was not belying his inner fear, and moved forward. "Now leave here or we'll be forced to fight you."

"Fight us? He's a tough one, isn't he, lads?" the leader of the men laughed and Finn bristled, growling a little. "Well, it'll be fun to break him too. Or make him watch while we break the other one," they all started to laugh and Finn swore he saw red for a second.

He wouldn't let them touch Kurt. He wouldn't.

So he got Kurt behind him and backed up so the smaller man was between his back on the wall, keeping his eyes on all of the men.

"Come on, lads. Let's teach these boys a lesson," the leader raised his sword and Finn felt Kurt press a pistol into his hand, the touch so subtle that the men would have never noticed it.

Finn gulped, knowing that this was it.

He was going to kill his first man today.

Never mind that his life may have been on the line, there was still a part of him that believed violence was never an option.

But it wasn't just him in danger; it was Kurt as well.

And Kurt was far too precious to lose.

So as the man raised his sword Finn whipped the pistol out, prayed that it was loaded and readied, and pulled the trigger.

There was an almost too-slow moment of time as the bullet flew, lodging securely into the man's chest as his eyes widened in shock and he clutched at the entry point, gasping before falling over into the dirt and twitching.

Time sped up then, the pistol still smoking, and Finn swallowed down the rising bile in his throat to say, "Come any closer and you'll all meet the same fate."

He could hear Kurt's swords spinning behind him again and knew the other man was no longer living in his past fears, and luckily that very real threat was all it took for the men to decide that they'd had enough and left, scattering through the alley.

Kurt spun his swords one more time before driving them into the back of the man laying on the ground, and he gave one last twitch before stilling forever.

"I…" Finn gulped. "I just…"

And that was it, he staggered a few steps away and bent over, emptying the contents of his stomach onto the dirty ground as Kurt laid a hand on his back and murmured soft words until he was done.

"I killed him."

"Yes. Because you had to," Kurt pulled him upright and embraced him, Finn clutching at the other man's coat as he felt tears prick his eyes. "You had to, Finn. You saved my life," he whispered and Finn could only nod. "Thank you. I…my past overtook me and…thank you."

"Of course. It was…knowing it was for you, I knew I could do it," he held Kurt tighter and Kurt stroked his hair and murmured soothing nonsense into his ear until he felt composed enough to move, although staring at the unmoving body almost had him retching again.

"Come on," Kurt slid an arm around his waist and all but pulled him from the alley, still looking a little shaken.

Finn couldn't blame him.

000

"I'm beginning to worry," Blaine noted a few days later as they were passing by Port Royal and had not yet encountered the _Canary. _

"Why? We only knew their route, not their destination. Could they not have stopped at an island along the way?" Sam was standing beside him, not touching, although Blaine almost wished he would.

"It's possible, of course. I just…can't shake this feeling. It's like when you can feel a particularly bad storm coming; I'm on edge," he shifted his feet and Sam lightly knocked his elbow into Blaine's own, the touch playful yet reassuring at the same time.

"Go belowdecks, take your ease," Sam ordered him, the look in his eyes telling Blaine that he'd march him there himself if the other man didn't listen. "Standing up here and worrying isn't going to make the _Canary _appear faster."

"I'm aware," Blaine finally nodded and headed to his cabin; although he used it rarely, it was undoubtedly nice to have.

Yet, try as he might, the feeling would not go away. He attempted to sit only to become restless and spring up again mere moments later, and the cabin was too small to pace properly. Eventually he gave it up as a lost cause and went back onto the deck, staring around at the calm seas and wondering why he felt so uneasy.

A chirping and a squawk of, "Watch it, matey!" from Lord Tubbington made him look up, and he gasped as a small yellow bird dove to land on his shoulder, cuddling up against his neck and chirping mournfully in his ear.

Oh, he had a bad feeling about this.

"What happened, boy?" he asked softly, stroking the tiny canary on its head, and the bird chirped again and pointed its beak to the left, Blaine running to the larboard side of the ship and seeing a small island only a short distance away. A thin plume of black smoke rose from the far side and suddenly he knew.

And it was not a good thing.

"Hard to port!" he yelled, hopping on the rail in a fair imitation of Kurt as he leaned out and the bird fluttered its wings. "Make for that island!"

The ship turned almost immediately; when Kurt wasn't on-deck the crew listened to him just as well, and he jumped back down and wrung his hands, willing the _Zephyr _to go as fast as she could.

"What is it? What've you found?" Sam rushed up, seeing the bird as his eyes widened. "God in Heaven. Is that…"

"Yes," Blaine nodded. "And look…"

"Oh, no," Sam shook his head. "No. She can't've…"

"It's the _Raven's _work, no doubt about it. No other ship burns their prey the way she does," Blaine's eyes were dark as he spoke, focussed on the smoke, and he felt Sam's arms come around his waist and the other man's lips touch the side of his neck.

"Sam. Really."

"Hmm?" Sam asked, his voice low as he continued to kiss Blaine's throat softly.

"Do you…" and Blaine had to think of his sentences carefully because it was awfully hard _to _think when Sam was doing that, but… "Do you think that, knowing my entire old crew could be _dead, _this is what I _want?"_

"No," Sam said truthfully as the canary twittered in his other ear. "But I think it's what you need. Come."

And Blaine was powerless to protest, letting Sam lead him back to his cabin and close the door before they were in each other's arms, hands tearing at clothing as the bird flew to land on the doorframe, chirping every so often. "They were close to land, chances are they made it ashore," Sam breathed against his skin, fingers undoing the buttons on his shirt and sliding it off as Blaine returned the favour.

"I…" Blaine was finding it hard to form coherent words anymore, not with Sam's mouth and hands on him, and he gave himself over to the other man's touch as they shed the rest of their clothing and Sam lowered him onto the bed, reaching for the jar of salve they'd always kept in the room for times such as this.

"Blaine."

"Yes?"

"Relax, love," Sam urged him, kissing him sweetly. "It'll be fine. Everything will be fine."

And Blaine drew Sam closer to him, hooked a leg around his waist, and kissed him with everything he had.

At this point, all they could do was hope.

And that would have to be enough.

**Notes:**

**1. **I decided the story didn't have enough Blam, so there you go ^_^ (And yes, the canary is apparently a voyeur…hmm… xP)

**2. **Also I needed somebody for Kurt to get his information from and I thought Sandy fit the role of a creepy gossip rather well. :)


	17. Chapter 17

**Title: **Zephyr's Breath  
><strong>Author:<strong> AoiTsukikage  
><strong>Rating:<strong> R for now  
><strong>CharactersPairing:** Finn/Kurt, minor Blaine/Sam  
><strong>Chapter:<strong> 17/?  
><strong>Word Count:<strong> 2609  
><strong>Spoilers:<strong> Let's say everything to be safe :)  
><strong>SummaryWarnings:** Kurt Hummel is the captain of a feared pirate ship, the Zephyr's Breath, but everything changes when he finds a young man who is the sole survivor of a shipwreck.

**Disclaimer:** I, unfortunately, do not own these characters, no matter how sad that makes me. I do, however, promise to return them when I'm done with them. :)

**Zephyr's Breath**

**Chapter Seventeen**

Blaine insisted on going ashore with Kurt; it would kill him to find out the truth if it were horrible but it would be even worse to sit on the ship and wait for the news. Sam insisted on coming with them, of course, and Kurt rarely went anywhere without Finn so the four of them set off into the jungle once they'd assessed that the burned-out hull of the _Sea Canary _appeared vacant.

The canary on his shoulder twittered sadly as they passed the ship and Blaine stopped to lay a hand on one of her few still-intact planks, tears creeping into his eyes.

"She was a good vessel. It's…difficult to know what to say because she was only a ship, but…"

"It hardly matters," Kurt sighed and laid his own hand on the wood. "And both Finn and I have been under her care as well. Losing a ship is as hard as losing a loved one. Perhaps more-so," he whispered the last and Blaine knew immediately what he was talking about.

The _Zephyr was _a part of Kurt Hummel, maybe more than just a part because he had built it with his own hands, but Blaine knew that the death of his ship would probably also be the death of Kurt himself.

Unless Finn were around, maybe, because Blaine had a feeling that Finn was the one person on this planet that could do that, could keep Kurt going even when he'd lost everything else.

Blaine just hoped he'd never have to.

"Come," Kurt urged, leading them up the beach and into the tall trees, and Blaine kept a wary eye out.

Something wasn't sitting quite right with him, and he noted that Sam seemed equally uneasy.

"You feel that?" his lover asked softly and Blaine could do nothing but nod. "We're not alone."

"Keep moving," Kurt said quietly. "Don't act like we've noticed."

Blaine noted that Finn obeyed immediately although he could tell the other man was uncomfortable with the entire situation, and Blaine heard a twig crack to his right before he turned, pistol drawn and pointed into the thick vegetation.

"Leave now and we won't harm you! You're trespassing on this island!" came a voice from the trees and Blaine blinked, the sound of it rather familiar.

"Kurt, it's them," he said quietly and Kurt's eyes widened before he took a step forward and cleared his throat.

"We're looking for survivors from the _Sea Canary. _You wouldn't happen to know where any are, would you?" he called clearly, and there was a rustling a moment later before two men stumbled out of the trees, one with fair hair and the other ebony-black locks, and Blaine breathed a sigh of relief.

"Blaine!"

"Thank God," Kurt sighed and Blaine shared a look with him, noting how relieved the other man appeared, and Blaine strode forward.

"Jeff! Nick! We'd thought for sure the entire crew…" he swallowed, unable to continue, and Jeff grabbed his arm reassuringly.

"We're all okay. Well, mostly. There were a couple of new recruits…you wouldn't know them…who didn't listen to Wes and…" he shook his head. "We managed to outrun the _Raven _until we were close to shore but their cannons crippled us. Luckily we were all able to get into the rowboats and make it to land before the showed up to burn the ship."

"Goolsby's crew are cowards," Nick added with a scoff. "They're brave when they're aboard that cursed ship but God forbid they'll leave her safety to take us on off the water. They turned tail and fled as soon as they realized they couldn't get to us."

"Thank God for that," Sam sighed, his arm tightening around Blaine's waist in a way that had both Jeff and Nick noticing, but the two of them only smiled.

Blaine knew they'd accept it. They were pirates, after all, and he was quite sure there was at least a bit of sodomy going on within the _Canary's _crew as well.

"Well, this puts a damper on my plans," Kurt shook his head, looking around.

"What plans?" Nick asked curiously and Kurt gave him a knowing smirk.

"I thought it was high time the _Raven _got taken down and I was hoping for the _Canary's _aid, but even with your crew joining ours we can't take her on with just one ship," he looked deep in thought for a moment. "Regardless, I'll need to talk to Wes."

"Of course. This way," Jeff pointed through the jungle and the small party began to move out, Blaine feeling like his legs were far weaker than they should be.

It was relief, he supposed, and Sam kept a steadying arm around him just in case as they made their way deeper into the trees.

000

"I'd agree with you normally, Kurt. You know I would," Wes said with a shake of his head, running his hands through his hair. "But we can't hope to take her on with just the _Zephyr. _We all know she's fast, but she doesn't have the gunpower to take on a ship the size of the _Raven," _he said logically and Kurt could only nod.

Of _course _he knew that.

"So what do you suggest? At this rate every other ship in the Caribbean will be taken out by the _Raven _and, from what I've heard, the government is refusing to oppose them because they know they stand no chance. It's up to us," he was frustrated, surely, because Wes was his one hope and now he had nothing more than what he'd started with.

"We need more ships," Wes agreed. "But how…wait."

"Yes?"

"Kurt, your father's a shipbuilder, is he not?" Wes' eyes lit up and yes, Kurt could see where he was going with this.

And it just might work.

"He is indeed, as you well know. He and I built the _Zephyr's Breath _together," Kurt said, with more than a little pride. "So what you're proposing is to build a ship knowing what the _Raven's _weaknesses are; a ship purpose-built to take her on and come out victorious…"

"I am," Wes said excitedly, gripping Kurt's arm. "Will it work?"

"It might just. It'll take a while to build, of course, but I think it would be our best chance," Kurt suddenly felt a new surge of hope: no pirate Captain in the entire Spanish Main knew more about how ships worked than him, and he knew that the _Midnight Raven _had one key weakness: her deep draught and solid build.

She was strong and she was powerful, but she was slow and depended on the art of surprise to capture her prey.

And yes, she had guns and cannons enough to put any other ship to shame, but her hull ran deep below the water and it was impossible for her to come in close to shore.

If he could build a ship to compete with the speed of his own but shallow enough that it could skim and reefs and with enough guns to pose a viable threat to the _Raven…_

They could beat her.

It was possible.

"And I'll pay. Full price. I may be a pirate, but I'm an honourable one," Wes stuck out his hand and Kurt shook it, smiling.

"It's a deal. Let's build ourselves a ship."

000

The _Zephyr, _which wasn't an overly large ship to begin with, was incredibly crowded with the addition of Wes' crew and Kurt was rather happy that, as the Captain, he still got his cabin to himself.

He'd noticed that ever since the day in Tortuga Finn had lost most of his normal good humour and had become quiet and withdrawn, a silent shadow at Kurt's back, and Kurt knew the reason although he'd been so caught up in the search for the _Sea Canary _he hadn't addressed it yet.

But now it was time.

He waited until they were settled in for the night, Finn's arms loosely around him, and he turned and looked at Finn in the dim light of the cabin. "Finn."

"Hmm?" Finn asked softly, fingers tracing patterns on Kurt's bare back. "What's troubling you?"

"I think I should be the one asking that question. You seem…changed ever since we left Tortuga. Did the confrontation in the alley affect you that badly?" Kurt asked softly, wanting to lead into this gently.

"I killed, Kurt. I…I know I'm already a sinner, being with…with you, but I thought…it's not a direct Commandment and now I…"

"Well, I don't know much about the Bible, but I think that as a pirate you've already broken the 'thou shalt not steal' one," Kurt said wryly and Finn sighed.

"Yes, but…killing…"

"Murder, Finn," Kurt corrected him, knowing at least enough about the Commandments to refute that. "Murder. You didn't murder him. It was purely self-defence."

"But they wouldn't have killed you!" Finn protested. "They would have…they…"

"Rape," Kurt uttered the word softly, the feel of the men's hands coming back to him from that day that seemed so long ago now. "And who's to say they wouldn't have killed me once they'd had their way with me? Would it have been better to obey every Commandment and let yourself be killed or do what it took to stay alive and not let people like that remain free and unharmed?" Kurt asked, keeping his voice gentle as he took Finn's hand. "We might both be dead. Or they might have forced you to watch while they defiled me and killed me. Would that have been better?"

"I…" Finn blinked rapidly, looking close to tears, and Kurt didn't think he'd ever seen the other man so vulnerable. "I don't…"

"Finnegan," he moved Finn's hand down so it was pressing against the front of his breeches, the heat of it making it difficult to think but it was a point he felt he had to make. "You feel that?"

Finn nodded, his fingers flexing slightly and Kurt bit back a groan.

"That's me. Being alive. I'm alive, and you're alive, and that's all that matters. Okay?" he said, a little breathless, and Finn nodded swiftly before his fingers tightened again and Kurt let out his moan this time, gasping when Finn's hand slid into his breeches and cupped his rapidly hardening cock. "Are you…is this…"

"I'm not okay," Finn admitted, his fingers moving slightly. "But I'm better. I'll…I'll be fine."

"You know you can talk to me about anything," Kurt said honestly. "No matter what. Whatever you need, I'll listen, okay?"

"Probably not the best time to have a heart-to-heart," Finn said wryly, and Kurt rationed that, no, he wasn't really prepared to talk about anything with what Finn was currently doing.

"No. Not…" Kurt gasped as Finn started to stroke him in earnest, his movements already far more practiced and less tentative than they'd been when they'd first started to become intimate. "Finn…"

"This is what you wanted, right?" Finn still looked a little unsure and Kurt arched forward to answer his query.

"Yes. Please," he turned around so Finn was pressed against him, hard cock flush against his buttocks and Kurt could only imagine how it would feel when Finn was ready to take that next step.

As it was, this was perfectly fine; Finn's long fingers wrapped around his cock and stroking slowly while he rocked against Kurt from behind, their movements slow and unhurried in as Finn managed to find a rhythm that moved with the gentle swaying of the ship, Kurt clinging to his arm and moaning lowly when his climax washed over him, hot fluid coating Finn's hand as he stroked Kurt a little more before his hand dropped away.

"Okay?" Finn asked softly and Kurt could only nod, a little overwhelmed still.

How Finn could be so skilful and yet so apprehensive at the same time was still a mystery to him, but as long as Finn was willing to do _that _he would be okay with it.

He turned over so he was facing Finn again, ignoring the mess in his breeches for the moment, and kissed the other man fiercely, reaching inside of Finn's breeches to return the favour as Finn groaned into his mouth, hips bucking forward as Kurt stroked him much more hurriedly than Finn had done for him.

"Kurt…oh, I'm…"

And Kurt kissed him again, tongue sliding into Finn's mouth as Finn shuddered and released, grunting softly as his hips pumped a few more times before stilling and Kurt slid his hand out of the taller man's soiled breeches.

Finn kissed him again, barely a press of lips-to-lips, and Kurt gave him a smile and stroked his hair with his clean hand before moving to the washbasin to wet a cloth and bring it back, cleaning them both up and stripping off his breeches while Finn got out of his own.

They end up tangled together, much closer than they'd even normally lie, and Finn ran his fingers through Kurt's hair and generally looked more at peace with himself than he'd been at least since the alley incident.

Which was a good thing, in Kurt's opinion.

"So, if we go to…to where your father's shipyard is, does that mean…" Finn asked a while later, both of them still awake.

"You'll get to see my old home? See my room? Indeed," Kurt agreed with a nod. "I may even let you sleep with me in my bed…if my father doesn't disallow it. But he seems to like you, so the chances are good."

"Oh. I'd like that," Finn said after a slight pause and Kurt felt a little taken aback.

Because as much as Finn seemed to want to be with him, it was hard to tell just exactly how serious he was about this relationship.

But wanting to see somebody's home and sleep in the bed they'd slept in since childhood…that spoke of a fairly deep commitment and Kurt had honestly never thought Finn would be ready to admit something of that nature.

"Kurt? Is that…"

"It's fine," Kurt smiled and drew him into a deep, slow kiss. "More than fine. I'm just…surprised you'd want to."

"Why wouldn't I?" Finn looked confused, blinking, and Kurt decided he wasn't going to explain it.

Finn wanted to, and that was enough.

"No reason. But we should be there in a couple of days; we're still fairly close to Port Royal and the town I grew up in is only a day's trip from there. I'm not sure how they'll feel about two pirate crews infiltrating it but as long as we lay low nothing should occur. The Navy doesn't really patrol the townsite as they feel it's too close to Port Royal for any sane pirate to dock there, plus the people there know me and know I wouldn't come back to hurt anybody," he added with a smile. "They have too much respect for my father to try anything. Or maybe too much fear; he can be fairly intimidating when the urge takes him."

"I can believe it," Finn nodded quickly. "And in that case I'm glad that I'm in his good graces."

"You are. He really approves of you, so be grateful," Kurt tried to chuckle but it turned into a yawn. "Well, I suppose it _has _been a trying day. I now have twice the crew."

"Temporarily," Finn agreed, settling down under the blankets as Kurt curled up closer to him. "Sleep, then."

"Mm," Kurt agreed, already nearly succumbing to slumber, and he felt Finn's arms tighten around him before he properly fell asleep.

**Notes:**

**1. **So sorry for the wait on this chapter; I have no real excuses other than 'life,' and 'too many fics,' but the latter at least is my own fault.

**2. **Um, hope everybody enjoyed!


	18. Chapter 18

**Title: **Zephyr's Breath  
><strong>Author:<strong> AoiTsukikage  
><strong>Rating:<strong> R for now  
><strong>CharactersPairing:** Finn/Kurt, minor Blaine/Sam  
><strong>Chapter:<strong> 18/?  
><strong>Word Count:<strong> 2513  
><strong>Spoilers:<strong> Let's say everything to be safe :)  
><strong>SummaryWarnings:** Kurt Hummel is the captain of a feared pirate ship, the Zephyr's Breath, but everything changes when he finds a young man who is the sole survivor of a shipwreck.

**Disclaimer:** I, unfortunately, do not own these characters, no matter how sad that makes me. I do, however, promise to return them when I'm done with them. :)

**Zephyr's Breath**

**Chapter Eighteen**

"You want to build a ship?"

"I do, sir. I have money," Wes promised, looking a little intimidated under Burt's glare and Kurt had to stifle a laugh.

His father could definitely have that effect on people.

"Look, son, just because _my_ son's a pirate doesn't mean I cater to pirates. You'd better not be trying to pull one over on me," he threatened and Wes shook his head.

"I'm not, sir. Our old ship…we were attacked by a group of cowards who left us to sink but luckily we wrecked ourselves on shore before that could happen. We had ample money in our hold that we brought along; I can pay you immediately if you so desire…"

"No, I believe you," his father nodded. "Kurt, you know what you want in this ship?"

"I've gotten Artie to draw up some plans," he nodded and pulled some parchment from out of his coat. "It's unconventional but it'll work, especially because it's going to be built for the singular purpose of destroying the _Midnight Raven."_

"Yeah, she's causing a right lot of trouble, isn't she?" he sighed and took the plans. "You know this will need to be made from the strongest wood we've got, right? To have that shallow a hull and still carry the amount of guns you've got listed…"

"It will work, father. I've done some calculations and we can make her a little longer than the _Zephyr, _but she has to be light and fast. The _Raven's _biggest weaknesses are that it can't go into shallow water without fear of hitting reefs and that she's so heavy manoeuvrability in the water becomes an issue. We need to counter both of those while still building a ship that could get into a cannon fight with her and come out unscathed," he explained and his father eventually nodded.

"You know that building a ship can take a long time, Kurt…"

"I have my crew and Wes has his, and they're all perfectly capable of following instructions. We can build it far more quickly than you and I built the _Zephyr, _that's for certain," he laughed.

"If you're sure. It's your money," his father eventually sighed. "Well, I'll see what supplies we have back in the lumberyard and what would be the best wood to build your ship from and we can go from there."

"Thank you, Mr. Hummel," Wes nodded to him and he merely pursed his lips and headed out back.

"Don't let him frighten you," Kurt patted the other man's shoulder as he steered him out of the shop. "He's like that with everybody but he really _is _flattered whenever anybody asks for his workmanship."

"Does he deal with pirates often?"

"Some," Kurt admitted. "Of course, he doesn't want to build anything that could one day attack my ship, but he also can't let people know that he's my father, so it's a fine line."

"Yes. Well, I'll let you and he catch up," Wes gave him a smile and a curt nod before heading back to the _Zephyr _and Kurt sighed and set his hands on his hips.

He may have loved the ocean, but sometimes, it just felt good to be home.

…Now he just had to convince his father to let he and Finn share a bed.

That ought to be entertaining.

000

"I know he's your…lover…Kurt, but the fact is that it's still my house," his father said when he'd brought up the topic, Finn lumbering around in the background and staring at the massive stacks of lumber.

"I promise we won't do anything besides sleep. I think we're both tired of being on the ship for so long…Finn especially because he's not used to it," Kurt tried to keep his tone rational.

"Son, I trust you…you know I do…but the fact is that you're both young men and I understand…"

"Stop. Please," Kurt did _not _want to talk about what he and Finn did with his father.

Or with anyone, really.

Some things were meant to stay behind closed doors.

"We just want to sleep. That's all," he tried again and his father eventually sighed and nodded stiffly.

"I'll grant you permission, then. But if I hear anything…"

"You won't," Kurt promised, patting him on the shoulder.

"So who gets the guest house, then?" his father asked, and Kurt wondered if he should admit to that.

Because, being a ship repair and building business, sometimes his father had clients who had emergency repairs needed and had no choice but to stay overnight, and since his father really didn't want strangers in the house, he'd made sure to have a place for them to stay for the night in the back of their property.

And really, being Kurt's first mate, Blaine was the only one who'd get to take the guest house.

"Blaine," he finally said truthfully and his father narrowed his eyes.

"Blaine have a lover?"

"Yes."

"Tell them to keep it down, too," his father looked a little exasperated and Kurt had to smile.

"Don't worry, father. They're both highly respectable gentlemen," he promised as Finn came back over.

"Well, I'll leave you lads on your own, then, while I try and figure out these plans of yours," he clapped Kurt on the back before going into the shop proper and Kurt turned to give Finn a radiant smile.

"Yes?"

"He's letting us room together. We have to behave ourselves, but we've got his blessing."

"Better than nothing," Finn sighed, wrapping his arms around Kurt and holding him close. "But we'll be here quite a while; he can't expect us to behave ourselves for all that time…"

"We have to be quiet," Kurt nodded. "But I think we can afford to have a little fun."

"Excellent," Finn quickly kissed the side of his neck before moving away and Kurt reached up to brush the spot, a smile on his face.

Excellent indeed.

000

That night, Kurt was comfortable in his own bed with Finn holding him, when the other man spoke up.

"I was thinking…when the _Raven _is finally taken care of, the first thing I want to do is bring my mother over from Ireland. I think she'd truly love it here and, really, there's nothing keeping her there anymore," he said quietly as Kurt nodded, sighing against the other man's skin.

"That should be possible. You'd have to find a place for her here, of course, but…"

"I would," Finn admitted. "And that may prove difficult seeing as how I'm…a wanted man," he shivered a little and Kurt stroked his shoulders.

"Love, I've been a wanted man for years. You'll get used to it," he promised, kissing Finn quickly and moving to pet his cheek. "But I was thinking, if she wouldn't object…my father gets lonely here, I know that, and he has this rather large house to himself. If she wished to stay here…"

"That would be wonderful, actually," Finn looked relieved that he no longer had to seek out a place by himself. "It's truly a lovely town and I think she would take to it well."

"Good," Kurt closed his eyes and added, "And besides, with both of their spouses dead, perhaps…"

"Kurt!"

"What? Is there something so objectionable about it?" Kurt asked innocently, cracking one eye open to take in the rather mortified expression on Finn's face.

"With us…if our parents…if they…"

"It's completely fine," Kurt patted his shoulder. "What we have has nothing to do with what they may possibly one day create. Add to that the fact that we shall never be able to legally marry…not that I think we would be ready for that even if we could," he said quickly as Finn's eyes widened. "I'm no fool, Finn. I know that what we have is hardly anything that will last, so stop looking like you fear me."

"That wasn't…" Finn sighed. "That wasn't what I was going to protest. You're right, of course: what our parents may or may not do should hardly concern us."

"I'm glad you agree," Kurt said quietly, a tad disappointed that Finn didn't address his other point but then, who was he trying to fool? He may have loved Finn…at least, he was fairly sure of his feelings, but there was no reason to believe that Finn's feelings were nearly as powerful.

"Kurt," Finn added softly and Kurt met his eyes, sighing happily as Finn gave him a rather sweet kiss. "What you said, it isn't that it doesn't mean anything to me. I care about you more than I'd like to admit, I believe, and…"

"Shh," Kurt pressed his fingers over Finn's lips, eyes fluttering closed when the other man sucked them into his mouth and ran his tongue around them. "_Finn. _Not tonight, love. My father's going to no doubt check on us for the first few nights so let's just…_oh," _he breathed as Finn sucked harder before letting Kurt's fingers slip from his mouth.

"Okay. We can sleep," he nodded before burrowing down and pulling Kurt in, twining their legs together as Kurt went willingly.

"You know," Kurt mentioned tiredly, hand running down Finn's arm lightly, "as much as I love my life on the sea, sometimes it's just…nice to come home and be taken care of for a while."

"I'll take care of you," Finn murmured, pressing a kiss into his hair, and Kurt froze.

"Finn?"

But Finn was asleep, breaths even and steady, and Kurt tried to calm his racing heart and leaned farther into Finn's broad chest.

He wondered if Finn knew what _exactly _he had just admitted to.

000

"Mm," Sam tipped his head back, fingers tightened in Blaine's curly as hair as Blaine licked at the head of his lover's flushed cock, loving how easy it was between them. Sam was fairly stoic and professional while on board, the prefect crew mate, but his incredible good-humor and brilliant smile only really came out in the bedroom and it was a part of him Blaine felt more than blessed to see.

He was also fairly willing in the bedroom…well, _mor_e than willing, generally, and he was leaning back on the bed, eyes fluttering shut as he swallowed and sighed.

"This is nice," he said, his voice low and throaty, and Blaine hummed in agreement and slipped his lips over the tip of Sam's arousal, sucking gently as Sam moaned. "Having a room to ourselves," he gasped as Blaine opened his throat and slid down farther, eyes angled upwards to take in the lean line of Sam's strong body, the arch of his back, his fair hair whiskey-gold in the candlelight. "_Oh."_

Blaine started to suck in earnest, all traces of teasing gone from his actions, and Sam groaned, hips bucking up as his mouth opened. "Close. I'm…_Blaine."_

Blaine smiled to himself and took as much of Sam's ample cock as he could, loving how free he was, and he could tell Sam was close to climax by the way he was cursing and writhing, and he was snapping his hips and oh, so close.

"Oh, Lord, I…"

"You lads doing okay?" came a rather loud voice outside the door and Blaine was so glad the door had a lock or this could be completely mortifying.

"We're fine, Mr. Hummel," he called, his voice a little strained, and eventually he heard Mr. Hummel's footsteps going back down the hallway.

"Blaine…Blaine, please, I…"

"Sorry!" Blaine took Sam's cock into his mouth again and sucked, Sam opening his mouth and coming without a sound, body shaking as he rode out his release.

"Well," he managed once he was laying there, chest still heaving as he cooled down. "That was unexpected."

"Perhaps not," Blaine shrugged and clambered up on the bed beside his lover, removing his breeches as he did so. "I _should_ have expected it, really. He's rather strict about what goes on under his roof…even if we're in the guest house."

"Oh," the other man pulled him closer. "Are you…"

"I'm fine," Blaine promised. "As you can probably imagine, that rather effectively ruined the mood," he laughed and Sam could only nod in agreement. "Are you tired?"

"Tired enough to sleep," Sam agreed, his eyes half-closed.

"Sleep, then," Blaine let his head rest on Sam's shoulder and pulled the blankets over them, hand clasped with his lover's as they both fell into slumber.

000

"I'm not letting you near that ship again," Kurt told Finn the next day as they'd started to build the new ship. Finn shrugged and stuffed his hands in his breech pockets, looking a little embarrassed because really, all he'd had to do was hammer a nail into a piece of wood and somehow he'd ended up not only nearly putting the nail through his own hand, but he'd swung the wood around, hit Puck in the stomach, and all but knocked the wind out of him.

So.

Not a very productive day for Finnegan Hudson. "I'm sorry, Kurt. I'm notoriously uncoordinated, you know that…"

"This barely took coordination!" Kurt snapped and Finn stepped back, not used to Kurt being cross with him. It was rather ugly to see although he knew it would intimidate a lot of people. "Oh, Finn," Kurt rubbed a hand over his eyes before looking up. "I'm so sorry, love. This is just…I get rather excitable when I'm shipbuilding and it's nothing against you."

"I know," Finn gave him a thin smile, because honestly, he was still more than a little intimidated. "I'll sit off to the side, then, shall I?"

"Perhaps I can employ you to just hand people various things. That should go over okay, shouldn't it?" Kurt had a bit of a smile but Finn could tell he was still feeling bad for what he'd said, so he stepped forward and pulled the shorter man into a firm embrace.

"You don't have to apologize. I know I'm rather hopeless," he murmured into Kurt's hair as Kurt sighed and wrapped his arms around Finn's waist. "And now at least we'll know for the future."

"To never let you near a ship again?" Kurt said lightly and Finn kissed him before letting him go.

"Yes. Now off with you. Build you ship. I'll occupy myself somehow," he tried to look rather mournful and Kurt rolled his eyes skyward.

"There's a lovely area about a mile from the town with a waterfall and a lake like where we brought you after your illness. You could spend time there if you chose," Kurt told him quietly and Finn eventually nodded. "And then…maybe one night…we can go there together?"

"Sounds lovely," Finn agreed, clasping Kurt's hand for a moment before stepping back. "I shall go look around, then. I'll be back before it's time to eat."

"Don't get lost!" Kurt called after him although he knew that was probably a hopeless wish.

He just hoped Finn didn't get himself _too _lost, and with a shake of his head and wry smile he went back to his work.

**Notes:**

**1. **Sorry for the delay! I was at a hotel where I was promised Internet and, well, there was none, so posting became impossible :(

**2. **Other than that, I hope you all enjoyed this! We're working up toward the climax of the fic :D


	19. Chapter 19

**Title: **Zephyr's Breath  
><strong>Author:<strong> AoiTsukikage  
><strong>Rating:<strong> NC-17 for this chapter. You all know what that means.  
><strong>CharactersPairing:** Finn/Kurt, minor Blaine/Sam  
><strong>Chapter:<strong> 19/?  
><strong>Word Count:<strong> 2752  
><strong>Spoilers:<strong> Let's say everything to be safe :)  
><strong>SummaryWarnings:** Kurt Hummel is the captain of a feared pirate ship, the Zephyr's Breath, but everything changes when he finds a young man who is the sole survivor of a shipwreck.

**Disclaimer:** I, unfortunately, do not own these characters, no matter how sad that makes me. I do, however, promise to return them when I'm done with them. :)

**Zephyr's Breath**

**Chapter Nineteen**

"Crimson sailcloth?" Kurt questioned and Wes nodded enthusiastically. "Whatever for?"

"This ship…she is to be a ship of death, is she not? The death of the _Midnight Raven?" _the other captain countered. "And the _Raven _is a black ship, and while I've no doubt making our ship itself red would be a chore that would bear little fruit, can we not have red sails at the very least?"

"Do you have a name chosen already?" Kurt asked curiously, because Wes certainly _sounded _like he had a plan of sorts.

"Perhaps. But I'd rather not divulge that until the ship is completed."

"Which will be soon," Kurt assured him with a smile. "But yes, I believe we should be able to dye some sailcloth for your use. Finding replacement cloth of the exact same color may be a challenge but I have a feeling that is the least of your worries at the moment."

"Indeed. So, it can be done?" the other man looked anticipatory and Kurt nodded in reply.

"Yes. It can be done."

"Excellent. Thank you, Kurt," Wes laid a hand on his arm before walking away and Kurt decided to head into the town proper to see if he could find some crimson dye.

The things he did for his friends.

000

"So. You wouldn't happen to have room for an extra crew member, would you?"

"Are you qualified?" Kurt asked absently, looking through the shop. The advantage of being so close to Port Royal was that there was at least a competent seamstress in the town and she had enough clothing dye that he thought he could find a suitable color.

Of course he would need an ample amount of it to cover all of the sailcloth and that might cost a pretty penny, but he'd bargain with the owner when the time came.

"I can use a sword. And trust me, nobody would want to face me in battle," the voice replied and Kurt finally looked up, seeing an ample woman with her arms crossed staring back at him.

"Well, that's very nice, Miss…"

"Zizes. Lauren Zizes," she replied and he nodded.

"Well, as I said, that's very nice to want to join my crew, but it takes more than…"

"You talk to Noah Puckerman and then come back and give me an answer," she told him brusquely before sweeping off and Kurt was left gaping after her, completely lost for words, until the shopkeeper came out and made his way over.

"That girl asking to join your crew, young master Hummel?"

"She was," Kurt agreed with a nod. "Is that common?"

"Not especially, but any fool could see her calling in life is not to sit around and dye fabrics all day. I can promise you she's a hard worker and will be loyal, but as for her fighting skills I could not say," the man shrugged. "Regardless, was there something you needed?"

"How much would it set me back to buy enough dye to dye all of a ship's sails crimson?" Kurt asked, wincing as he waited for his answer.

Wes had better have enough loot to cover this.

000

"Lauren Zizes."

"Is she here? Where is she? Is she after me?" Puck sprung up, looking around wildly, and Kurt was already reconsidering offering the woman a place on his crew.

Anyone who could make Noah Puckerman shake in his boots had to be an intimidating force indeed.

"She works at the seamstress' shop in town, but she asked today if she could join our crew and told me to ask you if I didn't believe her to be capable. I take it you know her?" Kurt raised an eyebrow and Puck sat back down after a second, putting his arm around Quinn as she looked at him.

"Um, yeah. She and I…back before Quinn and I were 'Quinn and I'…we had a relationship. She's great, really, but rather intimidating. If she wants to join I would definitely think she'd be an asset to the crew," he finally admitted and Kurt nodded, knowing that more crew members would never be a bad thing.

Quinn was currently quizzing Puck on the girl so Kurt slipped away from them, heading back to town to recruit their newest member.

000

"So. We're leaving tomorrow," Finn mentioned later that night, the two of them in Kurt's bed.

"Yes. Is that a problem?"

"I've…I've liked this. With you. I mean, I still don't know if I'm cut out to be a pirate, but…"

"Shh," Kurt placed a finger over his lips, not wanting to hear about Finn wishing to leave the ship. "It doesn't matter. You can't stay here…"

"My home is with you," Finn said, utterly serious, and Kurt felt his breath catch. "No matter where you are, that's where I belong. But if it was in a small house by the sea…I would not complain."

"Perhaps one day," was all Kurt could say in response, and Finn shifted a bit before pressing his nose to a spot under Kurt's ear, hands tightening around his waist.

"I'm ready."

"You…"

"It's our last chance for a while, and I…I want to. With you. I don't know if we shall both come out of this…this battle alive, and I want…before we go…" he stopped, sounding rather close to tears, and Kurt felt touched.

"Okay. We can…but not here. My father…"

"The waterfall?" Finn suggested. "It's close enough and we'd have privacy…"

"Of course. Yes," Kurt said excitedly, kissing Finn before moving out of his embrace. "But come, we must be quiet. I need to get one thing before we go so shall I meet you outside?"

Finn nodded and Kurt got re-dressed, heading out of the room and hoping Finn had the foresight to bring a lantern along.

The night was clear and the moon near-full, but it would still be nice to have.

000

Luckily the knock came before they could do much more than kiss, but Blaine pulled on his breeches and headed for the door, pulling it open rather irritably. "What…Kurt. Is something wrong?"

"I…ah…oil," Kurt stammered, and Blaine took one look at his red face and dark eyes and _knew, _smiling and turning back to the bed as Sam tossed the small jar at him.

"He's ready?"

Kurt could only nod, a smile on his face wider than Blaine had ever seen, and he passed over the oil as Kurt pulled him into a quick hug.

"Then go. Have fun," Blaine urged and Kurt rushed off down the hall, looking more like an excited child than a feared pirate captain, as Blaine closed and locked the door before stripping his breeches off.

"Blaine," Sam was looking at him with one eyebrow raised and Blaine shrugged.

"Yes, love?"

"You realize we gave him the oil."

Blaine nodded, because Kurt and Finn weren't the _only _ones looking to take advantage of their last night on land, and he dug through a bag of supplies before coming up with another bottle. "Did you think I'd give him our only one?"

And Sam laughed and beckoned him over, drawing him down onto the bed as Blaine forgot all about Kurt and Finn and focussed only on the man in front of him.

000

"So," Finn looked nervous as he settled himself on the blanket in the cave, the waterfall's backsplash hitting them occasionally although the cooling mist felt lovely against the warm Caribbean night.

Kurt set the lantern a safe distant away, just so they could see each other in the half-light, and reached to remove his clothing as Finn scrambled to do the same.

Once they were both unclothed Kurt knelt on the blanket next to Finn, drawing him into a kiss that Finn returned eagerly, and they spent a few minutes just re-learning each other's bodies (Kurt really _was _too intimidated by his father to have risked anything in the house proper, so they'd truly just slept for the majority of the time they'd been there. Which, in his mind, had been far too long.)

"Don't fret, love," he whispered gently, kissing Finn again. "I have the hard part. You just need to relax."

"I don't want to hurt you…"

"You won't," Kurt promised, taking the oil and uncapping it before pouring a generous amount onto his fingers and laying back. "Do you wish to, or shall I?"

"Ah…"

"Me, then," Kurt decided as Finn looked confused as to what exactly he needed to do, so Kurt lay back and spread his legs, lifting his hips enough that he could comfortably slide a finger inside of himself.

And yes, this was going to be painful; his night with Blaine had been years ago and while he'd do this at times just to experience as close to the feeling as he could get, it truly did not compare. Especially since Finn was hardly what one could call 'small' in that part of his anatomy.

"What are you doing?" Finn was staring rather intently and it was a tad disturbing, if Kurt was being truthful.

"Think about it, Finn," Kurt twisted his wrist a little and added a second finger, his eyes squeezing shut. "What you're…putting inside is…significantly bigger than…the opening will allow. If I don't…prepare myself I could injure myself quite badly."

"Oh," Finn looked afraid again and Kurt realized he shouldn't have made such a big issue of it, but while he was doing this it was hard to make sure all of his words were completely thought out.

"You won't hurt me," Kurt repeated, slipping a third finger in and groaning.

"Does that feel good?"

"It feels…different," Kurt decided, already feeling sweat bead on his brow. "It's hard to describe, unless you _ah!" _he gasped, hitting that certain spot deep inside that made every part of him tingle with intense pleasure, and Finn looked on in concern. "No, I'm not in pain. It's…there's a spot…it's good, Finn. It's good," he assured the other man, sliding his fingers out and leaning back. "Come here."

"I…" Kurt realized that Finn wasn't aroused yet and realized that it wasn't a completely odd occurrence. Finn was watching this as merely an observer, somebody from the outside, and Kurt knew that watching this part of it, at least, was hardly stimulating. It was almost boring, really; boring and curious, perhaps, but nothing that would physically arouse the other man in any way.

So he moved to pour more oil over his hand, reaching for Finn's limp cock and stroking him slowly, the other man still sensitive enough that it barely took any proper stimulation to have his cock filling, Finn sighing shakily as Kurt kept stroking him.

"I'm good," Finn said eventually, Kurt pausing to wipe his hand on the blanket before hooking his elbow around Finn's neck and drawing him into a kiss.

"Don't think so hard, love," he murmured, his voice husky and low. "It's all very simple."

"I trust you," Finn still looked fearful but Kurt lay back and hooked one leg around Finn's back and the other about his waist, pulling him in until the head of Finn's cock pushed against his entrance. "So I just…"

"Yes," Kurt closed his eyes and hissed as Finn started to push, but to the other man's credit he was exceedingly gentle and didn't rush, asking every so often if Kurt was okay, which Kurt appreciated although he really wished Finn would get on with it. "I'm fine. Go," he snapped at one point and Finn flinched and did as he was told, moving forward until he couldn't, and Kurt huffed and gripped his shoulders, far too tightly, but Finn didn't protest.

"Kurt?"

"I'm…let me…" Kurt stammered, because he'd forgotten how much it _burned _and he was panting, trying to adjust and get used to the fullness, knowing that tears were leaking from his eyes and cursing his own weakness until he realized that Finn was stroking his cheek tenderly, kissing the tears away and holding him gently until he finally opened his eyes again. "Thank you."

"I'm sorry, Kurt, but I…I have to…" Finn shifted and Kurt nodded, letting himself relax as Finn pulled out and then pushed back in, a small cry dropping from his lips at the jarring motion. "God, I'm sorry! I'm so…"

"It's fine," Kurt stroked his hair, knowing that he probably was doing a poor job of convincing Finn he truly _was _fine. "Just…keep moving. We'll get it."

Finn nodded and moved again, back and forth until he finally found a rhythm and Kurt let out a long breath through his nose, gripping at Finn and shifting his hips up farther as Finn thrust in deeply, finally hitting the spot that made everything worth it and he cried out, holding Finn there for a moment with shaking arms.

"Oh, God, there…Finn…please…"

"Yes," Finn panted, continuing to thrust so he hit that spot, and Kurt let the pleasure wash him away as he threw his head back, moaning rather shamelessly as he did so. "Do you…do I…"

"I can…" but Kurt never got to finish as Finn reached to take his cock gently, stroking and thrusting at the same time and it was sloppy and imperfect and _wonderful, _Kurt dragging Finn closer as if he could somehow make them one person.

It felt like they were.

"Finn, I…ah, love…"

"I know. I'm…" Finn kissed him suddenly, teeth nearly clacking together as Kurt choked off a cry and climaxed, hips striving to push upward even as Finn held him down, kept pressing that spot that made him see stars, and he was still riding that wave as Finn snapped his hips again and found his own release, Kurt feeling the hot fluid inside of him and it was everything he'd ever wanted.

Especially with Finn gasping into his ear and kissing his cheek, both of them too-hot and sweat-soaked and still being sprayed by the waterfall, the cool liquid soothing on their fiery skin, and Finn was ever-so-gentle as he lay Kurt back on the blanket and withdrew, Kurt wincing at the soreness as he let his body lay limp on the blanket, staring at Finn with half-lidded eyes. "Thank you," he whispered and Finn looked a little shocked but he nodded and lay down beside Kurt, scooping him into his arms and holding him tightly. "Finn…"

"I love you," Finn said fiercely, the words muffled in his hair, and Kurt gasped and looked up at him.

"You…"

"I love you, Kurt Hummel. I can't deny it anymore, because I know that's why I did what I did in the alley that day. Why I'm staying even though I'm not cut out to be a pirate. Why I shall go with you tomorrow and risk death. It's because I love you," he vowed and Kurt felt tears threatening again as he embraced Finn as tightly as he dared, nose pressed against his shoulder.

"I love you as well, Finnegan Hudson. So much," he kissed Finn's skin lightly. "And while I cannot promise that we shall both come out of this battle unharmed, if I was a man who was prone to praying, it would be the one thing I would pray for. I don't want to lose you…"

"You shan't," Finn shook his head. "I swear I won't let anything happen, to myself _or _to you."

"You can't make that promise," Kurt whispered and Finn kissed him, holding it until Kurt sighed and nodded. "All right. I'll trust you."

"Good," Finn settled down, grabbing a spare blanket and pulling it on top of them. "Are we staying here?"

"For a bit. My father will throw a fit if he finds us gone tomorrow morning," Kurt chuckled lightly and sighed in happiness when Finn kissed his forehead. "Was that…was that acceptable for you?"

"I'm sure we can work on it. It was better than Santana, at any rate," Finn laughed and Kurt shoved his shoulder. "I'm serious, Kurt. I enjoyed it."

"As did I," Kurt agreed softly. "But no more for a while, at least. I'll need to recover."

"I…"

"You didn't hurt me. You were incredible," he said earnestly and Finn finally nodded. "Truly. Thank you."

Finn didn't answer but merely kissed him again, loving and tender, and Kurt surrendered himself to Finn's arms and let himself be held.

He didn't know what tomorrow would bring.

He could only hope that both of them…nay, _all _of them…made it out alive.

**Notes:**

**1. **So I'm envisioning maybe three chapters after this one, one or two for the battle and an epilogue of sorts, which means this fic is slowly but surely drawing to a close…

**2. **Also, thank you so much to everybody on tumblr who helped me out with the lube situation. I was thinking oil would be the solution but it was nice to get confirmation :) Also for anybody who wanted Lauren on the crew, I felt I had to include her so she's part of the crew now!

**3. **That's it, I think. Let me know what you all thought!


	20. Chapter 20

**Title: **Zephyr's Breath  
><strong>Author:<strong> AoiTsukikage  
><strong>Rating:<strong> R overall  
><strong>CharactersPairing:** Finn/Kurt, minor Blaine/Sam  
><strong>Chapter:<strong> 20/21  
><strong>Word Count:<strong> 2635  
><strong>Spoilers:<strong> Let's say everything to be safe :)  
><strong>SummaryWarnings:** Kurt Hummel is the captain of a feared pirate ship, the Zephyr's Breath, but everything changes when he finds a young man who is the sole survivor of a shipwreck. Also, for this chapter, character death (?).

**Disclaimer:** I, unfortunately, do not own these characters, no matter how sad that makes me. I do, however, promise to return them when I'm done with them. :)

**Zephyr's Breath**

**Chapter Twenty**

"The _Crimson Hawk."_

"Hawk? You're quite fond of birds, aren't you?" Kurt asked, utterly good-natured, and Wes shook his head.

"I'd love to name her after the _Canary _but, as we all saw, canaries do not fare well against ravens. Hawks, however, are one of the few birds that can kill a raven and live to tell the tale, so perhaps naming her after such a fierce bird will ensure us victory. It cannot hurt, in any case," Wes had to shrug and Kurt eventually nodded.

"I think it is a fine name. And she is a fine ship."

"She surely is. Thank you for all of your help," Wes turned to Kurt and shook his hand and Kurt smiled at him.

"Of course. Anything to bring the _Raven _down is a big advantage to have. But we must make sail if we wish to find her soon," he added and Wes agreed, walking away to command his own crew to ready the new ship for her first voyage.

Kurt just hoped it wouldn't be her last.

000

"Gunpowder?" Puck asked, shocked, and Jesse nodded and crumpled up a piece of paper before setting it aside. "You know this how?"

"The _Raven _sets fire to every ship she pillages, so her hold must be full of the stuff. Ships, especially traveling ships like the one Finn was on, don't carry it as a rule so it had to have come from somewhere. I'm guessing the entire hold is full of gunpowder, so get one of us in there to light a fuse and," he spread his hands, his meaning perfectly clear.

"I'd like to take the ship if we could, but then again having Goolsby to turn in would be just as acceptable. And it would be ironic if she were to meet the same fate as the ships she takes, would it not?" Kurt pondered this for a few moments before nodding, his mind apparently made up. "Okay. We try to take the ship. If we can't, we blow her to high Heaven. All we need is for somebody to sneak in, lay a line of gunpowder, light it, and get out before she blows."

"Who's going to do that, though?" Quinn asked, and Kurt could see how tightly her arm was linked with Puck's. Yes, so many of them had loved ones on the boat, and there was a good chance at least some of them would not make it out of this next battle alive.

"I will," Finn's voice cut through the silence and Kurt closed his eyes as if in pain, shaking his head.

"You'll not."

"I _will," _Finn said, his tone firm. "The _Raven's _crew aren't ignorant and chances are they'll recognize most of you if you try to sneak on board, even in battle. I'm new so they may not…"

"Technically Lauren's the newest…" Puck started and gulped when the girl glared at him. "Alright. No. Finn definitely is."

"Finn, you are _not _going to…" Kurt started but Blaine took his hand, leaning in close.

"Kurt, he cannot become a liability. You know this. If you start showing him special treatment…"

"I know," Kurt laced his fingers with Blaine's, squeezing his hand gently. "I know, but…"

"Yes," Blaine said quietly, holding Kurt with one arm. "You know I understand."

"Right," Kurt let himself lean against his first mate before straightening up and looking at Finn. "Right, then. Finn, that's going to be your responsibility."

"Of course. I won't let you down, Captain," Finn promised.

"I know you won't. The rest of us, let's concentrate on finding that black ship."

"Aye!" the crew called as a whole and scattered, Jesse taking up his customary spot in the crow's nest as Kurt went to the rail to hail the _Hawk, _needing to tell Wes what they'd worked out.

000

"Tomorrow," Finn whispered in his ear, breath hot against Kurt's sea-damp skin, and Kurt reached to take the other man's hand in his own and lace their fingers, holding him close. They'd run into a merchant vessel who had somehow escaped the _Raven's _wrath but who had told them the general direction the black ship was headed, and with the speed both the _Zephyr _and the _Hawk _could attain they would most likely catch up by morning.

And, if nothing else they had the wind at their backs and the element of surprise: _nobody _was foolish enough to confront the _Midnight Raven, _after all. "Tomorrow," Kurt repeated, feeling his throat close. That sense of impending doom he'd felt before Finn had gotten poisoned was back, stronger, but he wasn't sure it was actually a premonition or if he was just plain scared.

It could have been either, at this point.

"We'll be alright," Finn said quietly. "We will."

Kurt didn't answer, staring into the darkened cabin, and he felt Finn's hand slide around his hip, meaning more than clear.

"Would you like to…"

And oh, Kurt would like to. Would like to get lost in the feel of Finn, his slick skin and deep brown eyes, lost in the movement, of knowing Finn was inside him and that nobody, in that moment, could hurt him, but…

"No," he said gently, blinking, feeling tears pool at the corners of his eyes. "I fear I'm still sore from last night."

"Just this, then?" Finn's hand slid to gently cup him through his breeches, bolder every time, and Kurt shivered and pushed it away.

"No," he choked out, the words barely forming.

He heard a sigh and rustle behind him, Finn disentangling their joined hands before slipping out of the bed, and Kurt glanced at him curiously. "Where are you…"

"To the cabin," Finn picked up his shirt, the muscles in his back shifting in the light as he straightened to put it on. God, he was beautiful.

"But…"

"If you want to be alone, I understand," Finn assured him. "I bear you no ill will for it."

"I don't want to be alone," Kurt protested; petulant, child-like, and Finn stopped half-way through buttoning his shirt and turned back.

"What do you want, Kurt? I'm trying, but I'm a little out to sea here."

Kurt smiled at the obvious attempt at levity but he beckoned Finn back, sitting and unbuttoning what Finn had just done before sliding the shirt off altogether. "I want you. But not like that. I want to…" he cut off, staring at the ground, cursing his sudden inability to articulate his thoughts.

But Finn, bless him, understood…somehow….and crawled back in before rolling Kurt to face him, taking his face in his hands and kissing him gently but surely. Kurt slid his arms around Finn's body, caressing the skin under his fingertips, and tried to memorize the feel of the other man as if this were the last night they'd spend together.

"You need to sleep, Kurt," Finn murmured into his hair. "You'll be of no use to anybody without it."

"I want this to last," Kurt breathes against Finn's lips, licking at them until they parted and Finn let him in once more. "I want…"

"We'll have plenty of time to make it last after tomorrow," Finn vowed, taking Kurt's hand and placing it on his chest over his heart. "You feel that?"

"Yes."

"That's going to keep beating. It's not going to stop," he said, his eyes wide and honest, and Kurt kissed him again because he couldn't think of anything else to do. "I love you, Kurt Hummel, and I plan on loving you for many years to come."

"I love you, too," Kurt tightened their embrace, their bodies touching at nearly every point, and Kurt thought absently that if Finn wanted to fall asleep while still inside of him he wouldn't protest too heartily.

Anything to bring them closer, because as morning drew near, his fear only grew.

000

"Black ship off the starboard bow!" Jesse yelled at about mid-morning, standing up in the crow's nest with the wind whipping his hair, and Kurt took a deep breath and tried to find his center, steeling himself for the impending confrontation. "What are your orders, Captain?"

"Let the _Hawk _chase her and engage her," Kurt replied, speaking to the crew as a whole. "When she's distracted we'll come around the other side and give Finn a chance to board, hopefully taking Goolsby captive in the process."

"You know Sylvester's behind the whole operation, right?" Santana raised an eyebrow and Kurt glanced at her. "Brittany and I asked around at your father's. Apparently she gives them money for every ship they destroy."

"So, worse than pirates. Much worse than pirates," Tina shivered. "Why would anybody do that?"

"Greed. Power. Sylvester's untouchable but the same cannot be said of her cronies, and it's time they learned that," Kurt nodded as the ship drew closer. "Are we all prepared for this?"

He looked around and saw that his crew looked scared, but determined, and Kurt knew it would kill him to lose any of them.

They truly were a family.

He met Blaine's eyes and saw the way his first mate's gaze flickered to Sam before looking back, and he just hoped that neither he nor Blaine would have to give their lover's body to the sea once this was finished.

"Go," Kurt mouthed and Blaine nodded gratefully, walking to Sam and letting the golden-haired man pull him into a tight embrace, and Kurt looked away to give them a moment of privacy, feeling Finn's hands on his hips as the taller man pressed against him from behind.

"We'll all be fine, Kurt."

Kurt didn't answer but he leaned into Finn's embrace, taking comfort from the other man's strength.

He would need it in the battle to come.

000

Finn was distracted.

He had the gunpowder and a lantern that stayed as far away as possible, but as he strode across the deck of the _Raven _and tried not to pay much attention to the battle raging on around him, his eye kept being drawn to Kurt.

Because Kurt was beautiful in battle, spinning his swords and shifting his feet in a way that looked more like a dance than a style of fighting.

A dance of death, Finn knew, because the crimson staining the twin blades and coating the deck wasn't anything to be laughed at, as Finn saw Kurt spin both the swords at once and plunge them backward, straight through a man's chest, he once again saw the man he'd been afraid of.

The feared pirate captain, one of the terrors of the Spanish Main, and certainly not the man Finn had held in his arms and made love to only a mere two days before.

But he couldn't watch Kurt, as captivating as the man was, and he moved quickly past and pulled the door open to the hold, trusting the light to guide him down the darkened stairway. He heard a loud, shrill whistle from above and knew that was the signal for Kurt to get everybody off of the deck and as far away as he could, and Finn just hoped he'd have enough time to light the fuse and get out before it was too late.

He set the lantern down, hands shaking a little, and began to spread the gunpowder so it met up with the barrels. Once the line was to the door he picked up the lantern, prepared to drop it and run, but unfortunately only half of that idea worked as, when he turned to bolt up the stairs, the remaining members of the _Raven's _crew were waiting for him.

Or, two of them were, but that was enough for his meagre swordsmanship skills.

He drew his sword and tried to emulate Kurt the best he could, panic and the need to escape giving him extra strength, but his foot skidded on the slick deck and he _felt _the point of one of the enemy pirate's swords pierce his shoulder, the pain overwhelming as he slashed out wildly, catching the other man across the chest and knocking him back into the rail.

He elbowed the other pirate aside and looked for the _Zephyr _but she was already far out to sea, leaving him no choice but to swim, and with a wounded arm the prospect wasn't pleasant.

He had one foot on the rail, preparing to jump, when a pair of arms caught him around the middle and sent him crashing back to the deck, and he bodily shoved the other man away and got to his feet, reaching for the rail as the fuse ran out and the world exploded around him.

000

"We have to go back!"

"Kurt!" Blaine had him around the middle, trying to hold on to the squirming man as he reached for the railing. "We have to get out of here!"

"No! We have to go back! He's…"

"You're injured!" Blaine said firmly. "You can't look for him."

"I can't _leave _him!" Kurt all but shrieked, thrashing, and he finally quieted and slumped in Blaine's arms, the rather ugly wound on his leg bleeding freely and staining the deck below them. "I can't…Blaine…"

"I know, love," Blaine said softly, stroking Kurt's hair back. "I know. We can wait until nightfall, but then we must move on."

They had managed to capture Goolsby and a couple others, and they were currently being held on the _Crimson Hawk _as the _Zephyr _wasn't truly equipped to carry prisoners.

Regardless, they needed to get them back to Port Royal and end the black ship's reign of terror once and for all.

"Blaine," Kurt whispered again, eyes slipping closed, and Blaine kissed his forehead and lowered him to the deck. "I…I love him…"

"I know. Finnegan's strong. He'll be fine," Blaine promised, seeing the blood loss and the exhaustion catch up with Kurt as the captain finally slumped to the deck, unconscious.

"Do you think he made it?" Sam asked, kneeling beside them, and Blaine turned his face into his lover's shoulder and shook his head. "That's what I suspected."

"God, I hope I'm wrong," Blaine's words were muffled by Sam's shirt as the other man held him tightly, both of them rejoicing in knowing that they still had each other but their hearts were breaking for Kurt.

000

"Captain, we have to move on," Sam's voice was quiet in the stillness as Kurt turned from the rail, his leg bandaged up and wearing a shirt that was too big to be his own, and the other man's heart broke even more.

"I know," Kurt whispered. "Bring the crew up on deck."

"As you command," Sam moved away quietly, calling the others, and Kurt buried his nose in the collar of the shirt and inhaled deeply.

Once they were all assembled he took a deep breath and turned away from the railing, the shirt hanging too-large around his frame as he cleared his throat.

"It's over. The _Midnight Raven _has been destroyed and all ships can come and go freely through these waters once more. As soon as we deliver Captain Goolsby to the authorities in Port Royal things will go back to the way we were and we can sail without fear again. We…" he stopped, covering his mouth with his hand and taking a shuddery breath before continuing. "We will leave here tonight. I fear the…the body cannot be recovered and…and it is better to press forward than to look back. So come. Let's make sail for Port Royal," he blinked, unable to hold it together any longer, and dropped to his knees, face buried in his hands.

And, for the first time in front of anybody other than Blaine, his father, or…God help him, _Finn_…Kurt Hummel cried.

**Notes:**

**1. **I blame this entirely on watching too many clips of old things Cory was in where his character died (I can think of three off the top of my head). Also too many clips of Cory shirtless. God, he is gorgeous.

**2. **That aside, please don't hate me too much. There's still an epilogue to come.


	21. Epilogue

**Title: **Zephyr's Breath  
><strong>Author:<strong> AoiTsukikage  
><strong>Rating:<strong> R overall, NC-17 for chapter nineteen  
><strong>CharactersPairing:** Finn/Kurt, minor Blaine/Sam  
><strong>Chapter:<strong> 21/21  
><strong>Word Count:<strong> 1747  
><strong>Spoilers:<strong> Let's say everything to be safe :)  
><strong>SummaryWarnings:** Kurt Hummel is the captain of a feared pirate ship, the Zephyr's Breath, but everything changes when he finds a young man who is the sole survivor of a shipwreck. Also, for this chapter, character death (?).

**Disclaimer:** I, unfortunately, do not own these characters, no matter how sad that makes me. I do, however, promise to return them when I'm done with them. :)

**Zephyr's Breath**

**Epilogue**

Kurt Hummel was a shadow of his former self. The once quick-witted and bitingly humorous man was replaced by a spectre, a man with no direction and with a smile that never appeared. It scared Blaine more than he'd care to admit, seeing his friend and captain this way, and it got so bad that he and Sam had even invited Kurt to share an evening with them, just to get him to feel _some_thing.

Which would have worked until Kurt broke down crying in the midst of it, the two of them wrapping him up and comforting him well into the morning hours, and they'd never tried again.

Everything reminded Kurt of Finn, somehow, and Blaine knew that the other man considered it his fault.

It wasn't, but nothing anybody could say would convince Kurt of that.

And so they continued on, a once-jovial ship full of silent crew members, all singing ceased in the wake of the tragedy.

They were rewarded handsomely for their part in capturing the _Midnight Raven, _of course, but their pirating days were over if they ever wished to sail the seas without fear of capture again.

Not that, with the money they'd received, they needed to loot and plunder anymore.

And so they became privateers, mostly because Kurt had never really anything against the authorities to begin with and all they really needed to do was escort ships like the one Finn had arrived on into Port Royal safely.

Which, of course, was remarkably easy now that the greatest pirate scourge in the Spanish Main was laying at the bottom of the ocean.

So they spent a lot of time merely exploring, traveling around and doing what they would, but Kurt's first order of business once they'd gotten everything sorted had been to arrange Carole Hudson passage on a ship over from Ireland, and he'd personally told her about Finn and had seemed surprised when she'd pulled him into her arms instead of blaming him.

She had met Kurt's father and they'd gotten along remarkably well, although Blaine could see the sadness in Kurt's eyes as he watched them and knew what it was for: having her around was like having a part of Finn there, and it was both painful and comforting at the same time.

They married after only a few months, Kurt performing the ceremony himself as ship's captain, and he ended up in bed with Sam and Blaine that night, crying silently and accepting the meagre comfort they were willing to give him.

And so life went on, Kurt still not the man he once was, and Blaine wasn't sure what he could do to bring him back. He'd once thought that losing his ship would be the only thing that would break Kurt Hummel, but if that were the case at least Finn would have been there to put him back together.

The _Zephyr, _as wondrous as she was, didn't possess that ability, and Blaine was at a loss, fearing that he'd just have to watch his friend slip away until one day he lost all strength to go on.

And Blaine didn't think he could survive watching him that happen.

000

It was Sam who proposed the idea of going back to Christopher Hudson's memorial to give Kurt a night alone with his thoughts, and Kurt had merely shrugged apathetically, his normal response to everything these days, and as the ship had sailed away leaving him on the shore he'd shuffled his feet through the sand and knelt in front of the memorial, fingers scraping the rocks.

He thought briefly about making one for Finn as well but decided against it. Part of him still refused to believe Finn was gone, and until he saw the body…unlikely, considering where he had died, but until then Kurt would never accept it.

Leaving the memorial he kicked off his shoes and trekked across the tiny island, feeling the sand under his feet as he came out on the other side of the jungle, the beach where he and Finn had first come together in front of him as he inhaled and tried to keep his tears contained.

It didn't work.

He collapsed onto the sand, knees drawn to his chest and sobbing, and wondered how _one man _could affect him so deeply that his whole life had come to a stop. He was numb, cut off from anybody, and he didn't know quite how to keep living again.

Even the day itself couldn't lift his mood, and it was beautiful, he thought as he got to his feet again, wiping his eyes. It was.

The sea was a perfect blue, just darker than the cloudless sky, and the wind light enough that tiny whitecaps were present on the waves. The sand was soft and light beneath his feet, white and pristine, and he wrapped his arms around his body and tried to find some pleasure in a sight that used to be what he'd lived for.

He supposed he'd just found something _else _to live for, and he'd known from the beginning that it would only end in heartache although he'd tried to fight fate.

"I love you," he said to the air. "I'll never stop."

He heard the crunch of footsteps on the sand behind him but didn't turn, thinking it was just somebody from his crew who'd followed him, but when a pair of arms wrapped around his chest he felt a tiny shred of panic tear through him, the first real thing he'd felt since that day.

Although death didn't scare him anymore.

He welcomed it.

"Good," a voice whispered in his ear, low and breathless, and Kurt closed his eyes and wondered when he'd lost his mind. "Because I'll never stop loving you either, Kurt Hummel."

"Go away," Kurt said shakily, his head swinging from side-to-side.

"Kurt…"

"Leave!" he shouted, trying to break free of the phantom arms, but they held him fast. "Please, don't do this to me. Don't…" he sobbed, feeling the arms tighten.

"I'm real, love," the voice whispered. "I'm not a ghost or a spirit. I'm here," he spread his hands over Kurt's hips and Kurt gasped and tilted his head back, a pair of lips fastening there immediately and oh, God, _Finn. _

"Finn," he finally said, his voice barely loud enough to hear, and Finn laughed as he turned around, staring at the man in front of him and shakily reaching out to cup his cheek. "Why, hello, Kurt Hummel."

And Kurt sobbed and gripped Finn in a fierce embrace, letting the other man wrap him up and give him what he'd been missing for the last half a year. "How?" he finally managed to gasp and Finn pulled him to the sand and into his lap, hands running down Kurt's back as they stared at each other.

"Luck. I seem to have my fair share of it," Finn nodded. "I managed to jump just as the barrels exploded and must have hit my head on something, but when I awoke I was on a piece of the ship and soon enough this island came into view. I hadn't realized we were so close when we engaged them."

Kurt closed his eyes and let his cheek rest against Finn's shoulder, enjoying his voice and the way it rumbled through him. "Go on."

"Somebody else must have lived here once. There's an old cabin on the far side of the island, on a bluff overlooking the sea, and the rumrunners must have used it as a base because the cellar is full of bottles. This island seems to be on the main merchant shipping route and once the _Raven _was destroyed travel seemed to pick up and I can hail merchants and trade them rum for supplies and food. I've asked every ship for word of you but nobody seemed to know exactly where you were," he added and Kurt hugged him tighter, not wanting to ever let go. "I'd hoped you'd come back, one day, and when I saw the _Zephyr _I couldn't quite believe it."

"We're not pirates anymore," Kurt said with a sigh. "We're…we escort ships into Port Royal and get paid for it. It's that or we'd all be dead, but the authorities were willing to give us some leniency due to our part in taking care of the _Raven. _But we have suitable amounts of time off, and…"

"Kurt, if you're attempting to get me to travel with you, you need not ask. I may never be cut out to be a pirate, but…"

"We have a lot of time where we're doing nothing of import. We could…we could come back here. Make a home for ourselves. If you'd…"

"Yes," Finn said instantly, his brown eyes lighting up. "Yes, I'd like nothing more."

Kurt breathed out in relief, thinking that Finn wouldn't want to set foot on a ship again, and he was still reeling from the knowledge that _Finn was alive _and suddenly the day felt a little brighter. "I feel I should tell you: I brought your mother over."

"You…" Finn blinked rapidly. "You did that? For…"

"It was the least I could do. I also feel I should tell you that she's now married."

Finn seemed to consider this before his mouth dropped open. _"No." _

"I told you they'd get along," Kurt laughed, the first laugh he could remember emitting in a long, _long _time, and Finn finally kissed him, each of them re-learning the other as Finn laid him back in the sand, spreading his coat first so Kurt could keep his clothing clean. "This feels familiar," he said softly, reaching to trace Finn's features with his fingertips.

"It is. This beach…"

"I know. It's where we first…"

"Yes," Finn nodded, reaching into his breeches and digging out a small jar of oil as Kurt's eyes widened. "I hope I'm not being presumptuous, but I had thought…if you wished to truly mark this beach as our own…"

"Yes. Please, yes," Kurt couldn't quite believe it, throat tight, and Finn leaned to brush his lips again. "I love you, Finnegan Hudson."

"I love you as well, Kurt Hummel," he replied with his normal sunny grin, and Kurt felt a burning desire spread through him that he feared he'd never feel again. He reached to grip Finn's hair, pulling his head down.

"Then make love to me."

And so Finn did.

**Notes:**

**1. **And that's all she wrote! I hope you all enjoyed this fic and thank you all so much for the kind words and reviews! It was so fun to write and really, you didn't think I'd actually let Finn *die*, did you?

**2. **I shall try to get a .pdf of this set up for people who want to download the whole thing, and I'll post it on my LJ and link to it from tumblr so people can find it :D

**3. **Let me know what you thought of this! I've got another chaptered fic in the works from a prompt from a-darkness-comes-at-dawn on tumblr about a situation flip for Finn and Kurt: ie, Finn being the gay kid and Kurt being the popular football player, so I'm planning that out. Plus I've still got my other two fics. :D


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